Forever In Our Hearts
by alliekat190
Summary: This is the story of 16 year old first class twin girls finding unexpected love, and the hardship they encounter when Titanic strikes an iceberg.
1. April 10th, 1912

~* Forever in Our hearts*~  
  
A/N: After much cringing, having gone over "Forever In Our Hearts" in my head, day in, day out, I've made the decision to edit some unnecessary dialogue AND I'm changing the surname to something else. Dawson is just too confusing.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Titanic. James Cameron does.  
  
ALSO  
Just a little note from ME  
  
I was obsessed with Titanic in fourth grade, and then somehow, it just faded out of my life. BUT. One day, I was bored. So I decided to watch my cobweb covered video of Titanic after five years of slumber at the back of my video shelf. I instantly fell in love with Lightoller, and in about a week, I knew nearly everything about Lightoller and Titanic. But now I just sit here and wonder: How can a movie create such an impact in your life? I hopped onto FF.net and read "Wishes do come true" and it inspired me so much that a little light bulb thing clicked in my head, and I decided to write a story to show how much I love Titanic, its passengers and its crew. And here it is. Hope ya like it.  
  
~*~*~*~*Forever In Our Hearts*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter 1  
  
April 10th, 1912  
  
Southampton dock was filled with thousands of people waiting to board Titanic, the largest ship in the world, on April 10th, 1912. A few automobiles carrying 1st class passengers around, stopped, and let their passengers out. The one at the front let out 3 women. Two of them appeared to be twins, while the other appeared to be their mother. They all stepped onto the gangway leading into to the 1st class foyer and carried on inside the A deck corridors. When unsure of where to find their rooms, a steward kindly assisted them to their beautiful parlour suite rooms, on A deck.  
  
The parlour suites were the most expensive rooms on the ship. They each had a private exclusive 50-foot promenade deck, 2 sitting rooms, and a bathroom.  
  
"Will this do?" A young maid asked the mother.  
  
"Of course, thankyou, Alice." The mother replied.  
  
Later on, at about 8:30 pm, the Titanic boarded into Cherbourg, France, to pick up more waiting passengers.  
  
"Well I wasn't about to wait all day for ya, sonny. Here, think you can manage?" a stout American lady asked a steward.  
  
"Mother, she seems so impolite," one of the twins said, looking rather disappointed.  
  
"Her name is Molly Brown. She is one of those 'new money women.' She is rather vulgar, I must say."  
  
They all sat at dinner, in the First class dining room, and the twins sat there looking rather bored. Of course, you wouldn't blame them, because sitting at a table, full of famous, and high-profile people speaking mindless chatter, can get rather boring.  
  
"Hey Clara, you wanna go out on the deck? It's a bit stuffy in here, don't you reckon?"  
  
"Claire, no. We must stay in here. We're not supposed to be outside during dinner."  
  
"Who cares, come on!"  
  
Claire grabbed Clara, her sister, by the arm, and they headed out to the boat deck to have a look at the Atlantic waters.  
  
Clara was looking above at the stars, while Claire, a bit of a daredevil, bent over the railing to get the feeling that she was flying.  
  
Just then, an officer came up to them, and he poked Claire, startling her, and nearly sending her over the railing.  
  
"What are you doi"- Claire was surprised to see the officer, she thought it was only Clara playing around.  
  
"I believe you are not meant to be here at this time," the officer informed, "Please, make your way back to the dining saloon, and proceed with your dinner."  
  
"Yeah, sorry." Claire apologized.  
  
"I apologize, my sister has a tendency to think she owns things," Clara said, looking at her feet.  
  
"That's alright. Just don't let me catch you again."The officer replied.  
  
Clara and Claire walked back into dinner, and then went to bed, as they needed an early night for once. 


	2. Clara and Claire

*Chapter 2*  
  
It was now 9:30am, and Clara was awoken by the noisy Claire yelling at her mother, because her corset was too tight, and she didn't want to wear it.  
  
"But you don't understand, darling. Corsets trim your waist, in order for your tight dresses to fit."  
  
"Mom, I don't care. I hate wearing those stupid dresses anyway. They make me all itchy and I cant even movie in them! I wish I were in steerage. They don't have to worry about anything," Claire retorted.  
  
"That's because they don't HAVE ANYTHING!" Noelle, the mother shouted.  
  
"What's going on?" Clara asked, rubbing her eyes.  
  
"Oh mom's making me wear this damn corset again. They're so stupid. I hate the person who invented them," Claire said, rather frustrated.  
  
Claire stormed off to her room, and flung her corset out the window to her promenade deck.  
  
"Claire doesn't like corsets, mom. You know that. She likes to be free. Just let her be," Clara said, matter-of-factly.  
  
Clara went into Claire's room to comfort her.  
  
Claire and Clara were twin sisters, as you already know. They were identical, except for the fact that Claire was noticeably taller than Clara, and she had brown eyes, whereas Clara had green eyes. They were 16 years old, turning 17 in August. They both had straight light brown elbow length hair, a slim build, and were rather tall for their age, standing at 5'10". They were born in Wales, but then moved to London, when they were 14. When Claire turned 15, for her birthday, she went on a trip to America, to visit her father's hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, and also just to tour around. She had been in America for a year, and had lost her proper ness, her politeness, and her English accent, and had replaced it with an American accent. The trip had made her less self conscious about how she appeared, which seemed to be quite common amongst the wealthy society, and now she was a little more informal about her actions, probably because she was very overconfident.  
  
Clara, however, was confident as well, but she was much more conscious of the way she spoke, dressed, and acted towards people. Unlike Claire, she strived to do well in school.  
  
In other words, the twins were completely opposite.  
  
"Girls, hurry up and get dressed. We're going on a boat tour with Mr Andrews, the designer of Titanic," Noelle shouted, from the other room.  
  
"Great, fresh air at last!" Claire said sarcastically, and threw on a dress.  
  
Clara, on the other hand, took a full 20 minutes to have her corset laced up, and to put her dress on, let alone her gloves, jewellery and makeup.  
  
Claire stood impatiently in the doorway, waiting for Clara to get ready.  
  
"Jeez, how long does it take you to just put on a dress, Clara?"  
  
"You have to look your best when you're on a boat tour." 


	3. The Boat Tour

*Chapter 3*  
  
When Clara had finally finished her half-hour beauty routine, she stepped outside, and took in the amazing view of the Atlantic Ocean, which was suddenly interrupted by the sight of Mr Andrews stepping out in front of her.  
  
"Are you ready, young ladies?" Mr Andrews asked.  
  
"Yep," Claire replied.  
  
First, Andrews took the girls to the wheelhouse and bridge to meet the Titanic's 7 officers, and the captain.  
  
Andrews led the girls into the wheelhouse, first, and introduced them to Captain Smith.  
  
"Good day, sir," Clara said politely, and Smith nodded.  
  
"Hi." Was all Claire said, and Smith seemed satisfied with her greeting.  
  
Just then, a young crewmember arrived, and informed Smith about several ice warnings he had received.  
  
"Oh, not to worry. Quite normal for this time of the year," Smith said, when he glanced at Clara's shocked facial expression.  
  
"Oh, I nearly forgot to introduce you to our junior wireless operator, Harold Bride. You know what wireless communication is, don't you girls?"  
  
"Yes, of course, Captain," Claire replied, as if she knew everything.  
  
"How do you do?" Bride asked, as he kissed Clara's gloved hand, out of respect.  
  
"Pleasure," Clara replied, and she smiled.  
  
Claire turned around so she didn't have to be greeted and kissed by this wireless guy.  
  
Bride smiled and left the wheelhouse.  
  
Meanwhile, on the bridge, the 7 officers were roaming around, awaiting orders from Smith.  
  
Clara stepped lightly onto the bridge, and an officers eye caught her own. She quickly looked down, embarrassed.  
  
Smith started to introduce the officers.  
  
"Theses are our 7 officers, of Titanic. They are great officers, I assure you."  
  
Smith then pointed them out individually.  
  
"Chief Officer, Henry Wilde,  
  
First Officer, William Murdoch,  
  
Second Officer, Charles Lightoller,  
  
Third Officer, Herbert Pitman,  
  
Fourth Officer, Joseph Boxhall,  
  
Fifth Officer, Harold Lowe,  
  
Sixth Officer, James Moody."  
  
The girls walked past each of the officers, eyeing them off carefully, as if they were living statues.  
  
Noelle nudged Claire and Clara.  
  
"Girls, introduce yourselves!" she whispered.  
  
"Good morning, officers. My name is Clara Sherbrooke, and this is my sister, Claire. It has a pleasure meeting you."  
  
A couple of the officers nodded politely.  
  
Andrews caught up with them, and took them each by the arm.  
  
"Next stop, engine room!"  
  
As they left the bridge, Clara turned around to farewell the officers, and Second Officer Lightoller caught her attention, by waving back to her.  
  
Clara waved, blushing slightly, and Lightoller smiled at her. 


	4. Meeting In The Wheelhouse

*Chapter 4*  
  
After the tour, Clara and Claire were walking around on their private promenade deck, eyeing off all the interesting oak carvings on the ceiling and the walls.  
  
"Hey Clara, do you think any of the officers are good looking?" Claire asked.  
  
"Claire! How could you ask such a thing?! Those officers are most probably twice our age, perhaps a little younger or older." Clara was shocked that Claire would ask such a thing.  
  
"Hey, I didn't ask you if you wanted to marry them, I just asked, if you think any of them are good looking."  
  
"Well, I think the Second Officer is rather handsome, but I don't fancy him. Why do you ask?" Clara automatically knew what Claire would most probably say.  
  
"Oh, you know the First Officer, he just totally makes my knees melt!" Claire said, confidently.  
  
Clara felt so flustered and embarrassed, that she ran out of the promenade deck, slamming the door and went outside to take a stroll on the boat deck, where she could clear her mind.  
  
She took a seat on a deck chair, near the wheelhouse, and watched all the couples strolling by.  
  
She never thought Claire would act like that. America had really changed her. Now she was all presumptuous and vulgar. Clara hated the thought of Claire being with an officer.  
  
Just then, Fifth Officer Lowe approached Clara.  
  
"Hello there. Were you the lovely young lady on the tour this morning?"  
  
Clara smiled. "Yes, actually."  
  
"Why are you sitting out here, all on your own?" Lowe asked, a little concerned.  
  
"I need to clear my mind. I suppose I should be out and about, making friends, but it seems to me that I have no one to talk to at the moment."  
  
Lowe thought about this.  
  
"Well, would you like to come into the wheelhouse and talk with us officers?"  
  
Clara was a little reluctant, as she didn't know these officers all too well, but she finally agreed.  
  
"Alright, then, come in," Lowe said, pushing open the wheelhouse door.  
  
Clara stepped in, looking around at every little detail of the room. She seemed rather interested.  
  
Moody, the Sixth Officer, caught a glance at Clara looking at all the telegraphs.  
  
"Now why would a young girl want to hang around with ship officers, when she could be enjoying the food in the parisien café?" Moody asked Lowe.  
  
"I don't know. She seems fascinated with a ship and its officers," Lowe replied.  
  
"Hmm."  
  
"Hello Mr Moody, may I take a seat?" Clara asked, as she took a seat from the corner.  
  
"Of course, miss."  
  
"Mr Moody, what is your job exactly?" Clara asked, leaning forward, as though she were really interested.  
  
"Well, I go on watch, when I'm rostered, for ice bergs and such, and I inform the captain of any news we have received, from the wireless boys.  
  
"Is that fun?" Clara asked.  
  
"Well, it's alright. But I love working on ships, anyway. You get to go places. And as for my work, well, I suppose sometimes its fun, and then sometimes my shift is so uneventful, its gets rather boring. But I suppose it's all worth it in the end. I mean, it could be me on watch, spotting an iceberg."  
  
"Yes, I suppose. Well, my day just consists of"- Clara was interrupted by Claire walking right into the wheelhouse, obviously searching for Murdoch. 


	5. Claire, Clara and the Officers

*Chapter 5*  
  
Clara looked away in disgust, and stood up.  
  
"Excuse me." She pushed past Moody.  
  
She caught up with Claire and hissed at her, "What on earth are you doing here?!"  
  
"Oh, I was looking for you actually. I wanted to say, sorry. Sorry for making you feel disgusted. I was just kidding about the thing I said."  
  
"Sure, I understand." Clara said, solemnly.  
  
Murdoch and Lightoller, followed by Wilde, walked right into the wheelhouse, and looked startled at seeing Clara and Claire together.  
  
"So, let me guess, you two are twins?" Lightoller asked.  
  
"Wow. How'd you guess?" Claire asked, sarcastically. "Can you tell us apart?"  
  
"Hmm. Yes, you're Clara, and you're Claire. I can tell, because you speak in different accents, and Claire, you are taller," Murdoch stated.  
  
"Damn. Gets 'em every time." Claire whispered, turning to Clara.  
  
"Can I ask why they're different?" Murdoch asked.  
  
Not wanting to tell an entire life story, Clara stood up and asked, "Don't you officers have work to do? Really, it must be awfully boring talking to a couple of young women."  
  
Just as she was about to leave, Lightoller took her hand, and spoke softly.  
  
"No, we have time. Please, tell us."  
  
Claire started talking before Clara could say anything.  
  
"Well, Clara, Mom and I moved to London a couple of years ago, from Wales, and my Dad, well, he moved to America when we were only three years old, to start his multi-million dollar business. Anyway, then it was my 15th birthday, right, so my Mom sent me off to America, to visit my dad, Evan, who was living in Cleveland, in Ohio. Clara didn't wanna come, because" - she looked at Clara - "the people there weren't 'proper' enough. So, meanwhile, I'm having a blast in America, while she's studying her ass away in London!"  
  
Clara gasped, in shock, and she was blushing so hard, with embarrassment, that she had to cover up her face with her hands, and excuse herself for a moment.  
  
"Jeez, I never know what her problem is." Claire watched Clara leaving the room. "One minute she loves me, the next, well, she's on fire, as you can probably see right now. She thinks I'm impolite and vulgar! What is this?! I mean, its not like the queen is standing by us 24 / 7 and we have to be on our best behaviour. Wouldn't you guys say so?" Claire exclaimed.  
  
Claire had Murdoch and Wilde in laughing fits, but Lightoller didn't find Claire's impoliteness amusing at all. He stepped outside, and spotted Clara, facing Ireland, where mountains were the teensiest bit visible.  
  
"I wish I were back home," Clara sighed to herself. "I don't hate Claire, but really, she needs to monitor what she says. And to think! She made three! Three officers laugh at her stupid remark! Well, I ought to" -  
  
She was cut short, as she turned, to see Lightoller standing right behind her.  
  
"Oh, I.uh.hmm-mm. Didn't realise you were there." Clara said, blushing again, but this time, it wasn't because of Claire.  
  
"I didn't think she was amusing, at all. Or funny, for that matter. I understand how you feel, Miss Sherbrooke. She is very impolite," Lightoller explained.  
  
"I apologize, yet again. I always have to cover up for her, after one of those scenes. I just wish we were really identical - I wish she were exactly like me. I know it's a little selfish, but its what I really want, Mr Lightoller. Excuse me."  
  
With that, Clara left the deck, and headed to the elevators to take the long journey down to F deck, where she had nobody to bother her. 


	6. Micheline

*Chapter 6*  
  
Clara stepped out of the elevator, upon arrival of the lower-class deck, and took a walk around its narrow, empty passageways.  
  
'Its so different to the first class corridors,' she thought to herself.  
  
Suddenly, a girl of about the same age as Clara, with long dark brown curls and deep blue eyes, bowled her over, by accidentally running too fast down the corridor.  
  
"Excuse me, miss. I'm awfully sorry! Oh, please, miss, I apologize a thousand times! I really do! The girl cried, helping Clara up.  
  
"That's ok, I really should've moved out of the way," Clara said, brushing out the creases in her dress.  
  
"Im Micheline Eleanor Diore," the girl said, "Im in 2nd class." She held out her hand.  
  
"Oh, I'm Clara Pearl Sherbrooke, 1st class," Clara said proudly, and shook her hand.  
  
"Where are you from, May I ask? You have quite a unique accent," Clara stated, as the 2 girls started along the outer boat deck.  
  
"Im from France," Micheline replied. "I boarded at Cherbourg."  
  
"Oh, yes. I'm from London. What brings you to the Titanic?"  
  
"Well, I'm making a new start to my life. America has many work opportunities there," Micheline replied, speaking in her French-English accent.  
  
"Hmm. Interesting. Do you have any close kin with you?" Clara asked.  
  
"Well, no, I don't. I'm travelling alone. My parents couldn't afford to come to America with me. They said that when the Titanic returns from America, they will come, one by one. It's just too expensive, travelling altogether."  
  
"Yes, I understand. It cost my family quite a fortune to come on board, as we're staying in Parlour suites. And, I'm travelling with my very annoying twin sister, Claire, and my mother, Noelle," Clara explained.  
  
"Jesus, Mary and Joseph!" Micheline shrieked. "You spent a lot of money on tickets! When I was looking at first class ticket prices, I noticed how much the parlour rooms cost, and I thought to myself, I'll never be able to afford that in 100 years!"  
  
"Well, I know. My mother realised how expensive it was, after she bought the tickets. But, I assure you, they are the most amazing staterooms on this whole ship!"  
  
"Oh, is that the time already? Time flies, doesn't it? I must go," Clara remarked, as she heard the bugle sounding for dinner. "Micheline, it was lovely meeting you. Where can I see you again?"  
  
"Uh, E-20," Micheline said, hurriedly.  
  
"Goodbye!" Clara waved, as she headed back inside.  
  
"Yes, see you later!" Micheline yelled, although she knew Clara hadn't heard. 


	7. A Letter

*Chapter 7*  
  
The next morning, Clara discovered that there was a gymnasium in the ship, which she thought was wonderful, as she had always wanted to test out gym equipment.  
  
Upon arrival, she sat herself down on one of the stationary bicycles, and was about to start pedalling, when all of a sudden, she felt a hand on her shoulder.  
  
Clara whipped her head around, and came face to face with the gym instructor.  
  
"Hello, love. Firstly, I must tell you, it's a good idea to hitch up that lovely dress a bit, if you don't want to turn all that silk and chiffon into shreds," the instructor explained.  
  
Clara chuckled. "Right."  
  
She attempted to pull up her dress, but when it was up enough, to not get caught in the pedals, she realised that too much of her legs were exposed.  
  
"Uh.I guess the gymnasium isn't the place for me, then," Clara laughed nervously as she slid off the bike seat.  
  
"Well, you're welcome to come back, anytime," the instructor said absently.  
  
"Goodbye, then." Clara hurried out of the gymnasium as fast as she could, to avoid embarrassment.  
  
Back in her stateroom, Clara found a letter from - well; it didn't have a name on the envelope - on her dresser. She took it up, and examined it curiously, as though it were a bomb, waiting to go off.  
  
"Oh, its from one of those officers," Clara and Claires personal maid, Alice said, as she saw Clara.  
  
"Which one? What did he look like?" Clara asked.  
  
"Well, he had a pleasantly handsome voice, and beautiful blue eyes," Alice said dreamily as she tilted her head and smiled to herself. "But I didn't see his hair. He was wearing an officer's cap. Oh, and he had a dimple in his chin. Handsome fella, really."  
  
"Hmm, could've been Mr Lightoller," Clara thought.  
  
Clara opened up the letter, and read in her mind:  
  
'Dear Clara,  
  
I hope you're feeling better than you were yesterday.  
  
I saw you in the gymnasium this morning; it looked as if you were having a little trouble on the bicycle.  
  
Anyhow, I was wondering if you would like to meet me on the bridge at 4:15 pm.  
  
I would like to talk with you.  
  
Thankyou, I understand if you choose otherwise.  
  
Yours sincerely, Charles H. Lightoller.'  
  
"Oh!" Clara gasped as she read the name at the foot of the letter. But then she smiled to herself.  
  
"Of course I'll meet you, Mr Lightoller."  
  
She was then snapped out of her daydream by none other than Claire.  
  
Clara rolled her eyes.  
  
"I never know what her problem is!" Clara mocked in Claires American accent.  
  
"Hey, that sounds cool! Do it again!" Claire joked.  
  
Clara just glared right at Claire, reminding her that the situation was serious.  
  
"Okay, look, I'm really sorry. Again. This time, I mean it. I just - something just overcame me, and I wanted to joke around with the officers. But I honestly didn't mean to hurt you. Clara, please, look at me," Claire said sadly, as Clara slowly turned to face her.  
  
"I swear to god, hope to die, stick a hairpin in my eye, that I'll never embarrass you like that again. I absolutely promise Clara."  
  
Clara giggled a little, as the 'swear to god, hope to die' chant brought back memories of her childhood.  
  
"So we're ok, now?" Claire asked hopefully.  
  
Clara smiled and threw hers arms around Claire.  
  
"Oh, Claire, we always are! Oh, I do love you so, Claire!" Noelle smiled as she peered through the doorway, but was quick to remind the girls that it was nearly time for the luncheon, and they needed to dress.  
  
"Girls, lunch gowns, now!" Noelle informed.  
  
After 10 minutes, coincidentally, Clara and Claire stepped out of their rooms, wearing the same dress, as they owned duplicates of this particular dress.  
  
They burst out laughing, as they were twins, who were usually intuitive about one another.  
  
Noelle laughed along with them.  
  
"Come along girls, we are stalling the group."  
  
The 'group' consisted of their table guests: J.J. Astor, the richest man on board, his wife, Madeline, The Countess of Rothes, Benjamin Guggenheim, Colonel Archie Gracie, Sir Cosmo and Lucille Duff-Gordon, Mr Andrews, Mr Ismay, and of course, Molly Brown.  
  
Madeline Astor was interestingly enough, 19 years old, and pregnant to 40- year-old J.J. and it was, quite the scandal. But, Clara enjoyed talking with her, as there weren't many years age difference between them.  
  
At lunch, in the dining room on C deck, Noelle sat talking to Molly, while Claire played with her 8-piece cutlery set, and Clara spoke the silly mindless chatter with the Countess.  
  
"I asked the dressmaker to make my evening gown in forest green. Instead, he made it in sea green, and didn't even bother telling me! So I had to order the forest green taffeta all the way from Ireland. Those dressmakers are so careless, Clara. Don't you think?"  
  
"Oh definitely," Clara replied, not having paid much attention to the Countess' chatter.  
  
"Excuse me."  
  
The mindless chatter was driving Clara absolutely insane, so she excused herself from lunch, and went out to the promenade deck at 3:30 pm, a little early for her appointment with Mr Lightoller, but nevertheless, exciting. 


	8. Ah, So good To See you

*Chapter 8*  
  
She walked around, through the promenade deck, where she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the glass.  
  
Her hair had become a mess, from all the wind. Not important though. What was important was what she was wearing; she always dressed to impress.  
  
She was wearing a beautiful baby pink lace tea gown, and in her hair was a beautiful Opal heart shaped clip, that held her hair in place, while she was inside, anyway. Now she found no purpose for it.  
  
"Hello, Clara!" A voice behind her called.  
  
Clara spun around, immediately recognizing the voice, but couldn't see the man anywhere.  
  
"Up here, Clara! In the bridge cab!"  
  
"Which side?" Clara called out to nobody in particular.  
  
"Port!!! Port, Clara!"  
  
Clara diverted her gaze to the port bridge cab, where she could see an officer, but couldn't make out which one.  
  
"Clara, hang on! I'll come down in a minute!"  
  
Clara paced back and forth, waiting for the officer to come down and greet her.  
  
Finally, he came down.  
  
"Ah, so good to see you, Mr Lightoller!" Clara said happily.  
  
"Oh, please, do call me Charles," Lightoller said.  
  
"Ok then, Charles, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Clara asked, her usual curiosity getting the better of her.  
  
"I would like to know more about you. You're an intriguing young lady, I must say."  
  
"Well, if you must know, I shall tell you. I was born in Wales, and my father moved to America to start his diamond mining business, that made my family rich. When Claire and I turned 14, our father bought a huge estate in London. So, we moved to London. And I obtained a little culture shock, as I spoke mostly Welsh, but my English improved, and now I just pass as a local Londoner. And then Claire lived in America for a year, and I don't know what it was but something definitely changed her. But now, I'm just a first class traveller, heading to New York to live with my father. I wish it were Wales that I was travelling to, but I'll visit my home country another day."  
  
"Wow. So you have only lived in the UK, huh?"  
  
"Yes. Have you been on any other ships? Or is this your first voyage?" Clara asked curiously.  
  
Lightoller smiled.  
  
"Ah, I've been on many other ships. In fact I've been at sea most of my life. I think if I told you my life story, we'd still be sitting here next week! But here I am, on the grandest ship in the world, having a conversation with a lovely girl like you."  
  
Clara smiled. He had mad her blush yet again, and this time, she couldn't hide it, because she couldn't take her eyes off him.  
  
"Clara, can I ask you something?" Lightoller asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Why do you always blush when I talk to you?"  
  
"Well, that's cause, um, I.uh."  
  
Claire came out of nowhere, and interrupted.  
  
"Hey, Clara, come on, I've gotta show you something!"  
  
"When can I see you again?" Clara asked Lightoller.  
  
"Tonight! I'll be on my rounds at 9:00. Catch you then! Bye!"  
  
"Ooh, you like him!" Claire teased.  
  
"Oh, do shut up, Claire. What are you thinking?" Clara fought back.  
  
But Claire wasn't a fool. She knew Clara would soon be head over heels in love.  
  
"What do you want, Claire?" Clara asked, intimidated.  
  
"Look," Claire pointed out.  
  
Ahead of Clara and Claire, and the bow, was a tremendous ice field. Because it was daytime, it was easy to navigate through the ice, but at night, it would be extremely difficult.  
  
"Wow." Was all Clara could say. 


	9. My Beautiful Star

*Chapter 9*  
  
That evening, at dinner, while they were waiting to be served, the girls sat patiently, talking to each other.  
  
During dinner, Clara was so excited about meeting up with Lightoller, that she ate her meal very fast, confusing those who were watching her. She didn't usually eat this fast. Claire just watched, dumbfounded.  
  
After dinner, the men, as usual, went to the smoking room, while the ladies sat around, talking.  
  
Clara noticed that another man was sitting with them tonight, a handsome young man. She had seen him somewhere before, but couldn't put her finger on it.  
  
But she didn't care. She just wanted the time on the Honour and Glory clocks to change from 8:45 to 9:00 so she could see the man she had know only for 2 days, and was already head over heels for.  
  
She couldn't wait any longer. Her heart was growing fonder and was racing at 100 miles now, because she longed to be with Lightoller. Hell, she didn't care about the age difference. Or her mother blasting her if she ever found out.  
  
She quietly excused herself from the table, and made her way up the grand staircase, out of the inside of the ship. She burst outside, taking in the freezing cold night air.  
  
Clara was shivering a little, because she was wearing a short-sleeved gown, but her long gloves kept her arms warm.  
  
She brushed her hair out of her face, and started walking in the direction to the bridge.  
  
She suddenly heard a man talking to himself, coming close to her, so, she spun around, and saw that it was Mr Wilde.  
  
Her heart slowed down a bit, as she thought it was Lightoller.  
  
"Hello, Miss Sherbrooke. What brings you out here at this time of night?" Wilde asked.  
  
"I have a meeting with a friend of mine."  
  
Wilde simply nodded.  
  
"Enjoy your meeting then."  
  
Clara hurried off, to avoid having to explain anything to anybody else.  
  
Clara stopped running and found Lightoller, leaning on the railing, peering at his gold pocket watch. He looked up when he heard Clara's footsteps.  
  
"Oh, there you are! On time as usual!" Lightoller said happily.  
  
Clara rushed up to him, and if it weren't for her controllable emotions, she would have kissed him there and then. But she didn't.  
  
"Come, I'll show you something," Lightoller beamed, and took Clara's hand.  
  
Clara leaned against Lightoller, and the hold of her hand became his arm around her waist. Lightoller stopped, under some stairs, and pointed to the sky.  
  
"Look, Clara, how beautiful the sky is tonight. Millions and millions of stars. It's rather unusual actually. They must have come out just for us."  
  
Clara smiled, and snuggled up to Lightoller. He slipped his arms around her waist, from behind, and rested his head on her shoulder.  
  
"You, Clara, are my beautiful star. You are absolutely gorgeous, graceful, and elegant." Lightoller said, grinning.  
  
Clara turned her head to face Lightoller, who took his cap off, and put it beside him. Clara turned her whole body now, not shivering from the cold anymore, being in Lightoller's embrace, and put her arms around him.  
  
"Are you sure this is right, Charles?" Clara asked.  
  
"Of course it is. All the officers are either asleep, or on duty up on the bridge. Nobody will find us down here. Nobody looks here, anyway," Lightoller reassured.  
  
Clara nodded. She thought about kissing him, as she looked into his eyes, but the thought of him being nearly twice her age, and never seeing him again, upon arrival in New York, made her cringe.  
  
Maybe he didn't really love her. Maybe he did this to every beautiful woman that he saw. Maybe he liked younger women.  
  
Clara didn't have a clue. There were thousand of 'maybes' running through her head at the one time, which made her quite confused.  
  
'Oh, what the hec!' She thought.  
  
As her feelings overcame her, Clara leaned into Lightoller closer.  
  
He leaned forward, and as they both closed their eyes, their lips met, passion getting the better of them, giving them a very passionate kiss.  
  
Clara lay down, on the hard ground, and Lightoller was now on top of her, lightly.  
  
She loved this moment so much. She didn't want it to stop. Or be interrupted, either. This was her first kiss.  
  
She would remember: Aboard the Titanic, on April 13, 1912, on deck, to an officer named Charles Herbert Lightoller.  
  
As they parted, Lightoller leaned over and whispered in Claras ear,  
  
"Can you feel the love?"  
  
Clara smiled. This is what she had wanted to hear, from the moment she'd met him. 


	10. A Little Confused

*Chapter 10*  
  
"I better go now," Clara said, as she got up off Lightoller. "It was great tonight."  
  
Lightoller nodded and smiled.  
  
"Would you like me to escort you back to your stateroom?"  
  
Clara shook her head.  
  
"I'd prefer if you didn't actually. My mother would blast me if she found out that I'd just been with an officer."  
  
"Alright then." Lightoller kissed Clara on her cheek.  
  
They said their goodnights and Clara headed back to her stateroom, creeping in ever so quietly, so nobody could hear her.  
  
Just as she entered the sitting room, she noticed that Noelle was sitting on the sofa, glaring at her.  
  
Clara froze. "Oh blimey." she thought.  
  
Noelle switched on the light and looked at Clara.  
  
"Where on earth have you been, darling? I'll have you know I was worried sick about you! You have been gone for almost two hours!"  
  
Clara had no excuse this time. What would she say?  
  
"I.uh." Clara scrunched up her face, trying to find an answer.  
  
"I felt rather ill, and thought it wise to spend some time on the promenade deck."  
  
"But Clara, we have our own promenade deck!" Noelle yelled. "I really don't understand you sometimes, Clara."  
  
With that, Noelle stormed off to her room.  
  
Clara stood there, trying to compose herself. Finally, she was just too tired to think, and collapsed in a heap on the floor of the sitting room.  
  
When Claire walked into the sitting room, the next morning, she screamed at the sight of Clara on the floor. It was a rather piercing scream, able to wake others in nearby staterooms. Claire dropped to ground, and shook Clara vigorously.  
  
"Clara! Wake up! Please, come on!" Claire obviously thought Clara was unconscious.  
  
Clara sat up, slowly, and looked around. She narrowed her eyes at Claire, and shrieked.  
  
"Oh, good, you're not dead," Claire laughed, and helped Clara up.  
  
"What? How did I get here? Wasn't I in bed? Claire, did you bring me here?" Clara looked very confused.  
  
"Shh, don't worry. Where were you last night?" Claire asked, trying to bite back a smirk.  
  
"I don't remember. Are we going to breakfast soon?" Clara asked, not wanting to reveal her antics of the previous night.  
  
"Yeah, breakfast is in ten minutes. Come on, we gotta get ready," Claire said, walking to the bathroom.  
  
Clara threw open the door of her wardrobe, and retrieved a pink, silk, bead- embroidered long sleeve dress, with layers all around it, and put it on quickly, not taking the time to smooth out the creases as she always did.  
  
She wasn't thinking straight for some reason.  
  
She left her hair down, slipping in two butterfly slips on each side of her face, to keep her hair out of her eyes.  
  
She grabbed the nearest handbag, and stumbled out of her room into the corridor.  
  
Clara, Claire, and Noelle made their way down to the dining room, and sat at a table with Mr Andrews, Mr Ismay, Molly brown, and another gentleman who was later introduced as Samuel Barook, the owner of Barook Steel.  
  
Clara listened intently to the conversation between all the adults. Ismay was remarking about the size of the ship, how it got its name, and such.  
  
"This is too boring." Clara thought, looking around.  
  
She was going to get up from the table and excuse herself, to see Lightoller. But something stopped her.  
  
'I've excused myself too many times. They're going to think that I cannot last, being inside. Besides, mother is somewhat curious about where exactly I head to, when I leave the table. There is always a mysterious look on her face, as I head out onto the deck.' Clara secured herself firmly to the seat, sat up straight, and forced out a smile to assure the faces that were glaring at her, that infact, nothing was going on.  
  
Just then, a waiter approached Clara from behind, putting a hand on her shoulder, and startling her to the fullest. She blushed.  
  
"Sorry, miss. I've come to take your order," the waiter said, kindly.  
  
"Uh.uh.um.a tomato err. omelette, sir," Clara stuttered.  
  
Claire stared at Clara, by the very confused look on her face, Claire immediately knew something was wrong. Claire could almost always tell when Clara was confused.  
  
She took Claras arm, and led her to an empty table. She sat Clara down, and went round to the other side of the table.  
  
"Hey, are you alright?" Claire asked, taking Claras hand inside her own.  
  
"Yes, I am actually." Clara smiled.  
  
"Look, Clara, I can tell when you're not alright, ok? Im not an idiot. I know how to work you out."  
  
"Ok. Do you promise that you wont speak one single word to mother about what I'm going to tell you?" Clara asked, leaning over the table, searching Claire's eyes for the truth.  
  
Claire smiled. "Girl, do I ever blab to mom about any secret you've told me?"  
  
Clara's facial expression turned blank. "Oh."  
  
Claire sat back in her chair. "Right. Didn't think so."  
  
Clara chuckled.  
  
"Ok, you wanna tell me now, what happened last night?" Claire asked, straightening herself up.  
  
"I was with Char- err...Mr Lightoller."  
  
"And." Claire rolled her hand around several times.  
  
"And we." Clara wanted desperately to tell Claire the truth, but she decided otherwise.  
  
"We took a walk along the deck, and that was it!" Clara lied.  
  
"Ok, Why were you so confused, then?" Claire asked.  
  
"I came in very late, and I was extremely tired."  
  
Clara stood up and walked back to her original table. 


	11. Down The Deck

*Chapter 11*  
  
Claire sighed and followed her.  
  
Clara started eating her omelette, and when she looked up, Mr Andrews spoke to her.  
  
"Clara, have you found your way around the ship yet? I hear from a lot of first class girls like yourself, that they get lost, just heading down the stairs to C-deck!" Mr Andrews laughed, his strong Irish accent becoming more noticeable.  
  
"Yes, Mr Andrews, I have found my way around the deck quite easily. The officers are kind enough to take me around every day. And, I don't get lost, heading down the staircase. I can read what the sign in front of me says when I approach another level. But, I must add, its rather tricky finding a way out to the boat deck, when I'm on F-deck. You should make it easier for the immigrants in third class to find their way out," Clara said sarcastically, smiling the whole time.  
  
Andrews and Ismay applauded her.  
  
She raised an eyebrow, wondering why on earth they were applauding.  
  
"Very good, Clara. There's an improvement I can make on the ship. 'Stairs to outer deck.' They wont miss it!" Andrews said, pointing and reading in the air, as though there were a piece of paper in front of his face.  
  
"We need to get out of here." Claire sighed to Clara.  
  
"Hmm. Mother, may we please be excused?" Clara asked, sweetly.  
  
"Yes, of course, darling. As long as Claire is with you!" Noelle shouted, as the girls had already left the table.  
  
"Jeez, now I'm your bodyguard?!" Claire remarked, as they headed to the elevator.  
  
"Uh, Clara, where are we going?" Claire asked, confused.  
  
"E-deck," Clara told the elevator steward.  
  
When they arrived on E-deck, Clara went over some thoughts in her head.  
  
'What was Michelines cabin number?' Clara narrowed her eyes, as Claire stood there, waiting impatiently, arms crossed, feet tapping.  
  
'E-20? E-26?' It had to be one of them.  
  
"Oh! E-20!" Clara made a quick decision on the spot.  
  
Clara and Claire strolled leisurely along the second-class corridors of E- deck; Claire looking down upon the girls their age, as though they were insects.  
  
"Look at the clothes they wear!" Heh. Poor excuse for a dress!" Claire scoffed, even though Clara wasn't interested in what she was saying.  
  
"Since when did you care about dresses?" Clara asked, not looking at Claire.  
  
"It's a bagging day today," Claire sang.  
  
"Ah! E-20." Clara said, satisfied.  
  
Clara knocked on the door, and Micheline answered, wearing her corset, petticoat, and fluffy slippers, only. She'd thought it was only her roommate. She gasped when she saw that it was Claire and Clara, in their beautiful morning gowns.  
  
"I didn't think you would see me again," Micheline said, sadly, allowing the girls into her stateroom. They looked around.  
  
"Um, I'm not very well, at the moment. My illness may be contagious!" Micheline lied, as she did not want company at that very moment.  
  
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Michelle," Claire said, in a posh accent.  
  
"Claire, It's Micheline." Clara corrected Claire.  
  
"Michelle, Micheline, same thing," Claire muttered, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Goodbye then," Clara waved, and they headed out to the boat deck. 


	12. Walking Around

*Chapter 12*  
  
"She was weird. Why did you make friends with her?" Claire asked, disapprovingly.  
  
Clara ignored her, trying to find a way to climb up to the top deck, without having to go inside and up any stairs.  
  
Claire looked up and spotted Murdoch. She smiled, and then looked at her feet.  
  
"What? What are you so hap"- Clara looked up, and spotted Murdoch waving at Claire, from the bridge.  
  
"Oh, god." Clara scoffed, and looked elsewhere along the bridge for Lightoller. Her eyes kept searching, and then they stopped, at Murdoch.  
  
'What am I thinking?' she asked herself. Clara knew she was being very hypocritive of Claire, for her crush on Murdoch. After all, she was seeing Lightoller. What was wrong with Claire seeing Murdoch? There was just something about him that made Clara cringe, and feel uncomfortable.  
  
'Just let it be,' she thought.  
  
"Come on, Claire, I know a way to get up!"  
  
Clara stepped onto the railing, looking below at Claire, who was looking rather amused by Clara's braveness.  
  
Suddenly, Clara felt arms around her, pulling her onto the top deck. Clara looked up, relieved.  
  
"I was wondering when I'd see you, today." Lightoller smiled, and Clara gave him a hug.  
  
Lightoller leaned in to kiss her, but Clara quickly whispered, "Claire's here!"  
  
Lightoller nodded, and stepped away from Clara.  
  
"I, uh...like your dress," Lightoller said, motioning towards Clara's dress.  
  
"I purchased it in Paris. We went there a couple of weeks ago. Beautiful place."  
  
"Yes, it is." Lightoller nodded in agreement, and linked his arm through Clara's, as they walked along the deck.  
  
"So, how have things been, with you and Claire?"  
  
"Well, right now, she's most likely flirting with Mr Murdoch." Clara gestured to the wheelhouse.  
  
Even though passengers weren't allowed on the bridge and in the wheelhouse, the officers, strangely enough, allowed Clara and Claire inside.  
  
"Would you like to see the wireless room?" Lightoller asked.  
  
"Yes, of course."  
  
They walked into the wireless room, and found Jack Phillips, the wireless operator, and his assistant, Harold Bride (whom Clara had met previously) in the room. Phillips was busy, but Bride was happy to attend to the pair.  
  
"Hullo, Miss Sherbrooke." Bride said happily. "Good to see you, Mr Lightoller."  
  
"Clara would like to know how you send wireless messages."  
  
Bride placed the headphones over Clara's ears, and instructed her.  
  
"Ok, Clara. Now, what you do is listen carefully for any messages. Can you hear any?"  
  
"Yes! Yes I can! It's saying...err...something." She handed the headphones to Bride, who quickly translated the Morse code message.  
  
Clara leaned over his shoulder, to see the message, and accidentally fell into his arms.  
  
"Silly me."  
  
Lightoller helped Clara up, and she turned her back to the Bride and Phillips for the moment.  
  
Bride walked over to the corkboard, and posted the message on to it.  
  
"Erm...what do you do after you post the message?" Clara asked, awkwardly.  
  
"We distribute these messages, every hour, so we don't get a massive build up of all these telegrams," Philips said, from the corner of the room.  
  
"I see," Clara sighed, and left the room with Lightoller.  
  
"Interesting?"  
  
"Yes. A little. Oh goodness that was embarrassing, falling over."  
  
"Heh. Everybody makes mistakes, Clara."  
  
As Lightoller and Clara approached the bridge, Clara glanced up at Claire, who was sitting on Murdoch's lap, and it looked as if she were about to get up.  
  
She had to widen her eyes, and then peered forward, as she couldn't believe what she saw. She looked away quickly. She took Lightoller's arm, and dragged him to the place they had been kissing previously.  
  
"Charles, I have to tell you, that"- Clara thought through what she was going to say.  
  
"Yes, What is it?"  
  
"Mr Murdoch. Something about him makes me feel rather uncomfortable, just by looking at him. And I feel he's making Claire more rebellious. I mean, did you see the way she was sitting on his lap?!!!" Clara waved her arms around frantically, expecting Lightoller to understand how she felt.  
  
"It's ok. Murdoch is a fine man. He knows that he'd be walking on thin ice, if he ever had a relationship with a passenger, who would distract him from his work. He is, First Officer, after all." Lightoller looked down, sadly, remembering that he was First Officer before Mr Wilde came in.  
  
"Hmm, yes, I suppose," Clara said, absently.  
  
Clara looked all around her, impatiently.  
  
Lightoller pulled out his pocket watch and peered at it. He sighed, and glanced over at Clara.  
  
"Its 12:00, duty calls, Clara."  
  
"Can I stay with you?"  
  
"I'd rather you didn't, as the captain gets very suspicious about young ladies hanging around officers."  
  
He smiled. Clara looked up at him, and nodded.  
  
"I suppose I should get going then, have to get to lunch, hehe," Clara laughed nervously.  
  
Lightoller knew that sending Clara away would make her less fond of him, so he decided on an idea he had floating around in his mind, now that they were sitting in the place where they had first kissed.  
  
As Clara stood up, to leave, Lightoller, still sitting, took her arm, and sat her back down. 


	13. A Second Session

*Chapter 13*  
  
Clara tilted her head questioningly.  
  
"Madam, may I borrow 5 minutes of your time?" Lightoller asked playfully.  
  
Clara grinned.  
  
"Yes, sir, what is it that you require?"  
  
Lightoller grinned, as well, and leaned into Clara, slipping his hands around her waist, and taking her by surprise, kissing her so deeply, that she lost her balance, and fell on her back, from her previous sitting position.  
  
She ran her hands through his hair, now that his cap had slipped off his head, anyway.  
  
The scene looked much alike to the previous night.  
  
Meanwhile, in the dining room, Claire sat restlessly in her seat, waiting for Clara to come to lunch. She narrowed her eyes and smiled.  
  
'I know where she is,' she thought to herself.  
  
On the bridge, the Captain was wandering around, asking available officers if the had spotted Lightoller anywhere. Finally, out of ideas, he asked Moody to search for him.  
  
Moody unlatched all the gates, on his way down many groups of stairs. Unbeknownst to him, he had walked right over the stairs, under which Lightoller and Clara were situated.  
  
Lightoller opened his eyes, and took a quick glance at Moody, who was standing right opposite them, with his back to them, of course.  
  
Lightoller pulled away from Clara, and helped her back to her feet, just in time, to brush out the creases in his coat, before Moody turned and saw him.  
  
Clara panicked, as she looked very untidy, with her hair scruffed up everywhere, and her dress all turned up at the hem, and not to mention, rather creased, as well.  
  
She acted quickly, and made like she was looking under the stairs for something, while Lightoller spoke to Moody, suddenly realizing that he didn't have his cap on.  
  
Clara passed the cap to him discreetly, and he put it on, while Moody turned the other way and sneezed.  
  
Clara and Lightoller looked at each other, and sighed in relief.  
  
"Mr Lightoller, you are on duty now, if I'm not mistaken," Moody informed Lightoller.  
  
"Indeed, Mr Moody. Thankyou, I'll be there momentarily."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
Moody stalked off, back to the officer's mess, to have some lunch, but just before he did turn around, he smiled, a meaningful smile at Clara, as though he knew her fate.  
  
Clara raised an eyebrow at this, thought nothing of it, and turned to face Lightoller.  
  
He chuckled when he saw Clara's messed up hair, and ran a soft hand through the tangled mass.  
  
"I guess we both should head off now, and meet up later," Lightoller said, slipping his hand into Clara's.  
  
"Yes. They're probably all tearing at themselves with anxiety, in the dining room," Clara laughed.  
  
She and Lightoller kissed quickly, one last time for the afternoon, before heading their own ways.  
  
The Captain, however, wasn't too happy about his Second Officer, kissing a 16-year-old first class girl. He had been watching the kiss from the bridge. But luckily for Lightoller and Clara, he hadn't seen the rest of their antics.  
  
Lightoller strolled quickly into the wheelhouse, straightening up his cap, and taking paperwork to the wireless room, from the Captain, to Bride and Phillips.  
  
When he returned, to speak with Robert Hitchens, the quartermaster, about Titanic's heading, the captain eyed him off carefully.  
  
He decided not to say anything, to save it until later, perhaps. 


	14. The Last Time Titanic Ever Saw Daylight

*Chapter 14*  
  
Meanwhile, at lunch, Claire was about to go and search for Clara, when she spotted her, dancing around, as if she were floating, into the dining room.  
  
She looked rather unsightly, as though she had awakened from sleeping, perhaps.  
  
Claire snickered.  
  
Noelle gasped and looked away in astonishment.  
  
"Hey, we thought you'd never come!" Claire laughed, pulling out a seat for Clara.  
  
Clara giggled, and ordered Chicken a la Maryland, when the waiter approached her.  
  
Noelle leaned over to ask of Clara's whereabouts in the previous 20 minutes.  
  
"Where have you been?" Noelle hissed.  
  
"Outside, mother. My apologies."  
  
"You look a fright. What were you doing, outside?"  
  
"The wind caught up with me, and blew me over."  
  
"Right."  
  
Noelle frowned, as she could smell cologne on Clara, an unfamiliar smell.  
  
"What's that I smell? Have you been near men, Clara?"  
  
Clara realised it was Lightoller's cologne that she could smell.  
  
"Uh." Clara started to stutter. She looked down. "Err...not exactly, but an officer who smelled rather strongly of cologne helped me back to my feet."  
  
"Hmm." Noelle continued on with her meal.  
  
After lunch, Claire and Clara headed back to their staterooms, to discuss various issues of what they do, upon arrival in New York.  
  
Meanwhile, in the officer's mess, Lightoller was sitting at a table, reading a newspaper, when Murdoch just walked in casually. Lightoller looked up and smiled.  
  
"Mr Lightoller, Charlie, I hear that you've been kissing little girls. Is this true?" Murdoch had a disgusting smirk on his face the whole time. No doubt, he was a nice fella, but when he had an opportunity to tease, he snapped it up.  
  
"And where might you have heard that, Mr Murdoch?" Lightoller looked away from Murdoch, doing exactly as Clara had done earlier in the morning.  
  
"I have my sources."  
  
Lightoller suddenly stood up, frustrated.  
  
"What? You spy on us? You know, Murdoch, you can get so low."  
  
"Stop it now, you two." Smith (the captain) stalked in, and separated the men who were about to pick a fight.  
  
"Murdoch, continue you break elsewhere, for 5 minutes, please."  
  
"Yes sir." Murdoch hurried out of the room.  
  
Smith motioned for Lightoller to sit down, and then, he sat down as well.  
  
"As you are aware, Mr Lightoller, we have a policy on the White Star Line, and that is, that you, as an officer, are restricted from intimate contact with passengers."  
  
Lightoller, who had been staring at the floor, suddenly jerked his head up, eyes wide open. He knew he was in trouble, now.  
  
"I know you care deeply for Miss Sherbrooke, but she is a mere passenger! Not to mention, a young girl, as well. What will you do when she gets to New York and never sees you again? Will you get off with her?"  
  
Lightoller seemed embarrassed by it all.  
  
"I would, err...um..." Lightoller tried to say something.  
  
"All I'm saying for now is stay away from the girl. You are not to see her again, Mr Lightoller."  
  
Smith got up and left the room, leaving Lightoller on his own.  
  
"But I love her." He said, softly, to himself. 


	15. The Evening of April 14th, 1912

*Chapter 15*  
  
In Claire and Clara's joined sitting room, the girls were discussing America.  
  
"Is it any different? To London, I mean," Clara asked Claire, who was leaning back on a chair.  
  
"Probably a lot busier. Oh and if you think I have a bad attitude, you should see the low class Yankees that hang around the streets!" Claire laughed to herself, imagining the look on Clara's face if she ever met one.  
  
Claire looked at Clara, who was thinking about something.  
  
"And what are you going to do, when we get to New York, and you never see Mr Lightoller again?" Claire asked sympathetically.  
  
"I don't know. We can let fate decide that, cant we, Claire?"  
  
"I guess."  
  
"But, what I do need help with, is finding a dinner dress."  
  
Claire walked over to Clara's wardrobe, and sighed at the amount of evening dresses she had taken on board.  
  
Clara walked into the bathroom while Claire picked out a dress to impress. Clara was washing her face, when she heard Claire yelling excitedly, "I found it! I found it!"  
  
Clara looked at the dress Claire had picked out, and gasped. This was the most expensive dress she owned. She was going to leave the dress behind, at her home in London, but at the last minute, decided to take it onboard.  
  
The dress was beautiful. It was not a proper evening dress, but nevertheless, glamorous.  
  
It was short sleeved, with purple chiffon sleeves, and the bodice was beautiful fuchsia taffeta.  
  
The bottom half, was many layers. The first layer, the under most, was purple satin, then a pale blue chiffon layer, and the outermost was odd cut layers of blue and purple silk, draping over the skirt.  
  
The gloves that matched it were shiny pale purple chiffon, with white fur trimming and little pink flowers at the elbow end, and at the fingers end, were diamonds, and more little pink flowers.  
  
The shoes that matched were much like ballet slippers, with a diamond heart on each.  
  
Clara went over all this information in her head, and rushed to her room to put the dress on.  
  
It was now 6:00pm, ant it was getting rather chilly, for a night of Spring. It was starting to get dark, fast, as well.  
  
Lightoller finally completed his watch and was going to head off on his rounds, just before going to bed. He leaned on the wall of the bridge, which only reached just below his chest, and stared out to sea, noticing it was very unusually calm.  
  
He smiled to himself, when his thoughts shifted to the first night with Clara.  
  
"Clara, Clara, Clara. Oh, I love you Clara. I really do. Where are you? I want to see you, hold you. Hmm."  
  
Lightoller didn't notice Murdoch approach him from behind.  
  
"Oh Clara!" Murdoch mocked.  
  
"Shut up, Will."  
  
The two men stood in silence for a few moments, and finally, they both walked into the wheelhouse to speak with Hitchens on speed and heading.  
  
Then, Murdoch walked out of the wheelhouse, followed by Lightoller, and found something to say.  
  
"Uh, did you ever find those binoculars, for the lookouts?" Murdoch asked.  
  
"Haven't seen them since Southampton." Lightoller peered over the wall, as though the binoculars were beneath.  
  
"Well I'll be on my rounds. Cheerio." He waved his hand around at Murdoch, who was just looking straightforward.  
  
Lightoller was considering going to visit Clara, but remembered that he'd see her in the morning. Or maybe, if she couldn't sleep, she'd come to him.  
  
He threw on a black turtleneck sweater, and some trousers, and sat on his bed, and smoked his pipe for a few minutes, before finally hitting the lights and drifting off to sleep, with thoughts of Clara still fresh in his mind.  
  
Claire and Clara walked together down the grand staircase. Clara was in her beautiful dress Claire had picked out, and Claire was wearing a gold silk and lace dress.  
  
Clara sat talking with Madeline Astor, to pass the time.  
  
"So, when are you expecting the baby?" Clara asked nervously.  
  
"In August."  
  
"Right, Ok, then." Clara turned and looked at Claire.  
  
"Jeez, dinner is so bloody boring. What do they expect us to do? Sit here? Speak stupid rich language? I don't think so! Come on." Claire was really frustrated now.  
  
"Claire, we can't just leave! Mother" -  
  
"Mom! We're just taking the air for a couple of minutes, ok!" Claire dragged Clara out of the room, just like she'd done on the first night. 


	16. Iceberg, Right Ahead!

*Chapter 16*  
  
Claire and Clara stumbled out onto the deck, tripping over several deckchairs, and other objects, and finally toppling over onto one another.  
  
Murdoch, who was watching from the bridge, chuckled when he saw the girls topple over. He was on his break, so he figured that 5 minutes on deck wouldn't kill him.  
  
He stood over the girls, unable to stop laughing. Claire looked up.  
  
"Yeah. Real funny." She held out her hand, so that Murdoch could take it and pull her up.  
  
He took her hand immediately, pulling her up, so fast that their noses were now touching, and as Clara looked up, she saw the passionate expression looming on Claires face, so she just looked away, allowing the pair to have their own private moment, just as she and Lightoller had.  
  
Clara pulled herself up, dirtying her nearly white gown slightly, and she quickly glanced at Claire and Murdoch, who were passionately kissing.  
  
She looked at the ground. Well, even if Claire was with the one man that Clara was unsure of, at least he was being nice to her.  
  
'Its rather absurd, seeing Mr Murdoch kissing my sister,' she thought to herself.  
  
Murdoch broke the kiss between him and Claire, and headed back to his position on the bridge.  
  
Clara looked up at - in her words - the 'cute little men in the crows nest' and noticed them looking down at her.  
  
"Here, look at this girl. Isn't she pretty?" Fred Fleet, on lookout, pointed out to his partner, Reginald Lee.  
  
"Look, at that, would ya?" Lee smiled and then all of a sudden, Fleet went into a sort of trance, and widened his eyes at the sight of... no, it couldn't possibly be... an iceberg.  
  
"Bugger me!" Fleet rang the emergency bell 3 times.  
  
"Oh no, this is bad, they only ring the emergency bell 3 times when there's danger!" Clara snapped back to reality, dragging Claire along the deck to see the ghastly figure loom out in front of them.  
  
Clara could hear Murdoch and Moody shouting orders to someone, but couldn't make out what they were saying.  
  
As the iceberg approached, closer and closer, and realizing the ship wasn't turning, Clara broke into panic mode, and started running. She didn't know where she was going; she just didn't want to see the iceberg.  
  
She ran up the stairs to the officers' quarters, and Lowe was standing there, clutching an empty cup, and shaking uncontrollably.  
  
"Mr Lowe, are you alright?" Clara asked, concerned.  
  
"Hmm?" he turned to Clara. "No. Titanic has just been driven straight into an iceberg." Lowe pointed.  
  
"Blimey." Clara thought.  
  
There was no way it could miss now.  
  
Clara heard someone say "It's gonna hit!"  
  
"Oh god, no! Please!" Clara panicked.  
  
Then, at that moment, Clara felt a gigantic rumble, like an earthquake, and heard a sound like no other she had ever heard. It was like ice skates skidding sideways on ice, amplified one thousand times.  
  
Clara watched below deck, as the falling pieces of ice nearly hit Claire.  
  
"Uh-oh!" Clara slid down the stair railings and ran up to Claire and hugged her.  
  
"Are you alright?" Clara asked the distraught Claire.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for coming down." 


	17. Lifebelts on, put ya lifebelts on

*Chapter 17*  
  
In the corridors, on the lower decks, stewards were pushing through crowds of worried people, giving them all lifebelts.  
  
"Lifebelts on, yep, that's right, put ya lifebelts on."  
  
But in the higher decks, there was no panic at all, stewards were just reassuring passengers and sending them back to their rooms.  
  
Claire and Clara were out of panic mode now, settling down in the first class lounge.  
  
Clara sank down into a couch, and Claire just stood, waiting for her to get up.  
  
Clara was feeling rather relaxed, when all of a sudden, something cracked inside her, and bounced up from the couch, and started panicking again.  
  
"Charles! Is he ok? I do hope he's not hurt! Oh, please be alright, Charles!"  
  
"Hey, hey, its ok. Do you wanna go and see him?" Claire asked patiently.  
  
"Yes, please, Claire."  
  
Claire had just about had it with these crewmen. Ten of them. And not one of them had seen Lightoller.  
  
Clara was getting desperate. She was still wearing her beautiful evening dress, which was free and flowing, and easy to run around in, although it was now 11:55pm - nearly midnight. She should've been in bed now, but she was too afraid to close her eyes.  
  
Murdoch came up behind Claire, and kissed her neck. She turned around and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder.  
  
"I have to go," he whispered in Claires ear, and left the room.  
  
Clara looked at Claire that moment, and saw that Murdoch was one of the very few people who made Claire truly happy. Clara smiled.  
  
As they headed down the steps to the well deck, Lightoller spotted Clara, and frantically ran up to catch her.  
  
When Clara heard his footsteps, she looked up, and before she knew it, she was in Lightoller's embrace. He spun Clara around in his arms, before setting her down on the ground.  
  
Clara wrapped her arms rather tightly around Lightoller's neck.  
  
"Oh, Charles, I thought I wouldn't see you tonight! I was so worried!"  
  
"Its ok, you're here with me now, there's nothing to be afraid of." Lightoller kissed Clara's forehead, and Claire left, to go and tell Noelle about the recent iceberg incident.  
  
Lightoller pulled away from Clara and stared at her dress.  
  
"Goodness me, your dress is the most beautiful I've ever seen. You have the best fashion sense, Clara," Lightoller laughed, and in front of the watching officers, pulled Clara close to him, and kissed her, a sweet passionate kiss, releasing all the fears and other emotions they both had been feeling at the one time. It wasn't like Claire and Murdoch's kiss. It was much more gentle.  
  
As Lightoller escorted Clara back to her room, he saw Wilde, Pitman, Moody, Murdoch, Andrews, and Smith.  
  
"She's already 8 feet underwater, sir," one of the officers said nervously.  
  
"Do you think this ship can sink?" Lightoller asked, turning to Clara.  
  
"Of course not! After all, it does boast sixteen watertight compartments, and I've heard all over the news that Titanic is unsinkable."  
  
"Well, I do hope you're right." Lightoller stopped at the Grand Staircase, and let Clara go.  
  
They didn't embrace, nor kiss, for the first time. Clara looked back several times as she made her way up to A-deck, up the grand staircase, as Lightoller watched on.  
  
When Clara was out of sight, he went over to the wheelhouse to find out what all the commotion was about. 


	18. But This Ship Can't Sink!

*Chapter 18*  
  
When Lightoller arrived at the wheelhouse, nobody was to be seen.  
  
Hitchens wasn't at the wheel; Nobody was on watch either.  
  
Lightoller looked around, confused. He walked around, and heard voices coming from the office behind the wheelhouse.  
  
He poked his head around the corner, and spotted Smith, Andrews, Pitman, and Ismay talking about the incident with the iceberg.  
  
He reluctantly entered the room. After all, he was an officer, and needed to know what was going on. He saw Andrews roll out a large diagram of the ship.  
  
"Water... 15 feet above the keel in ten minutes, in the forepeak, in all 3 holds, and in boiler room six," Mr Andrews blurted out, rather worried.  
  
Ismay was being very impatient.  
  
"When can we get underway, dammit?"  
  
"That's five compartments!" Andrews said, firmly. "She can stay afloat with the first four compartments flooded, but not five. She will go down by the head, as the water spills over the bulkheads. From this moment on, no matter what we do, Titanic will founder." Andrews sounded absolutely heartbroken.  
  
"But this ship can't sink!" Ismay scoffed, as though he knew everything.  
  
"She's made of iron, sir. I assure you, she can. And she will. In an hour. Two, at most."  
  
Ismay was now speechless.  
  
"There are 2200 souls on board, sir," Murdoch said, solemnly.  
  
Lightoller jumped away from the room, absolutely horrified, at the news he had just received.  
  
He hurried out to the bridge, and eyed everything, admiring it as best as he could, for he knew this would be the last night he would ever stand on Titanic's bridge again.  
  
***  
  
"Miss, will you please change your dress, its quite cold out tonight," a steward stated to Clara, just as she entered her room.  
  
"Why would I need to dress warmly? I'm staying here," Clara insisted.  
  
The steward sighed.  
  
"As you are probably aware, miss, we have struck ice, and the ship may sink. So, I'm going to need to get you to please, dress warmly, put on your lifebelt, and come up to the boat deck."  
  
Clara ignored the persisting steward, but decided to dress warmly anyway. She didn't want to ruin her most beautiful dress.  
  
Claire started into Clara's room, and ripped off Clara's corset, when she realized that Clara was trying to lace it up, wasting time.  
  
Clara glared at her, dumbfounded.  
  
"What are you doing? We're in the middle of an emergency!" Claire said, raising her voice. "I heard this ship gonna sink, and not with us still in it, that's for sure!"  
  
"But I don't understand! How can it sink?!" Clara demanded.  
  
"Ok. There are 16 watertight compartments, right, and they only go up to E- deck. So, the ships hit the iceberg, which has scraped along G, F, and E decks. So the watertight compartments have absolutely no purpose now, cause the water's already above them. Get it?" Claire explained quickly.  
  
She went over to the wardrobe, and took out a long woollen coat for Clara to wear.  
  
"Just chuck on a dress! There's no occasion!" Claire yelled, glancing at Clara who was standing there, going over what she had just explained.  
  
"What do you mean, there's no occasion? Of course there is." Clara said proudly.  
  
Claire rolled her eyes.  
  
"Oh, yeah, Clara, why don't go you and grab your sinking ship dress!" Claire said sarcastically, and Clara scowled.  
  
"Right." Clara took out a ¾ sleeve silver silk and lace dress, identical to the gold one Claire had been wearing at dinner.  
  
Just as Clara put her coat on, Noelle appeared in the room, and led the girls out to the A-deck foyer. 


	19. Reality

*Chapter 19*  
  
Clara spotted Molly Brown, in a lifebelt, like most of the other people in the room, and listened to what she was saying.  
  
"What's doing, sonny? You got us all trussed up here, and now we're coolin' our heels!" Molly shouted at a passing young steward.  
  
Molly was absolutely correct. What was happening with all this lifebelt business?  
  
'Its probably just a lifeboat drill. We'll all be back by morning, surely,' Clara thought.  
  
The reality of the situation hadn't sunk in yet. For Clara, anyway. She seemed to believe all those headlines of Titanic being unsinkable.  
  
But how stupid! Of course ships can sink. Even if they have watertight compartments.  
  
Claire spotted Andrews, heading up the stairs, a look of concern on his face.  
  
"Hey, um, Mr Andrews?" Claire gripped his shoulders, and he turned around.  
  
"Yes, young Claire."  
  
"I saw that iceberg, and I saw the way it hit the ship. Is it really going to sink?" Claire asked hopefully.  
  
"Yes, Im afraid so. In an hour or so, all this will be at the bottom of the Atlantic." Andrews indicated the foyer. "Please, tell only who you must. I don't want to be responsible for a panic. And get to a lifeboat quickly, don't wait. There are enough lifeboats for less than half of the ships passengers."  
  
Andrews dragged himself up the stairs, heading to his stateroom.  
  
Claire gasped, clasping her hand over her mouth.  
  
She noticed Clara pacing around, talking with other people. Claire spun Clara around, to face her.  
  
"Clara, I just spoke to Mr Andrews, and he told me that the ships gonna sink, for sure."  
  
Clara opened her mouth to say something, but Claire was quick to shut her up.  
  
"He is the master shipbuilder, and he knows what's going on. Trust me."  
  
The look of concern in Claire's eyes assured Clara that there was, infact, danger.  
  
"We have to get to a lifeboat, Clara. There's enough for less than half the people on this ship. And WE, being first class, have priority over second and third class. So lets get moving! Come on!"  
  
Claire also told Noelle this, and they all climbed out the doors to the boat deck.  
  
Clara, being so fussy about her appearance, realized she'd forgotten to put her stockings on. She turned to Claire.  
  
"Oh, dear. Claire, it seems I have forgotten to put on my stockings!"  
  
Clara raised her dress, enough for Claire to see her bare legs.  
  
"I must go and put them on!" Clara started to sneak off, but Claire suddenly gripped her arm, the hardest she had ever done, and Clara glared at her, terrified.  
  
'Oh no you don't. If you don't wanna drown to death, stay here!" Claire ordered. 


	20. Swung out and ready

*Chapter 20*  
  
Elsewhere, Smith informed Bride and Phillips that they needed to send out CQD, a distress call, to other ships, so that they could come and rescue Titanic's passengers.  
  
Smith walked out, and ordered Lightoller, Wilde and Murdoch, his senior officers, to start uncovering and swinging out the lifeboats, so that they could be ready to launch.  
  
Smith, having burned out, of all the happy spirit in him, looked over the current situation from the bridge. He was truly distraught now.  
  
He had been absent, on the most critical part of the voyage, and his ship was sinking. Fast.  
  
Noelle was looking about for a lifeboat to get into, but couldn't spot any close ones. The only ones that were being launched at that time were the ones on the starboard side, and Noelle and the girls were on Port.  
  
Claire, rather dreary at this point, suddenly lit up, when she heard a familiar voice.  
  
"Get these davits cranked in! Get the falls hooked up!" Murdoch was demanding orders now. He had seen the water gurgling up the bow of the ship.  
  
Claire's head shot up automatically, and she searched with her eyes, frantically to see Murdoch. Finally, he came into clear view now, attempting to free one of the boats on top of the officers' quarters. Claire rushed up to him.  
  
"Will! Hi!" Claire shouted. Murdoch looked down at Claire.  
  
"Hello, darling. I'm kind of busy now, as you can see, but I'll be with you in a minute, ok, Claire?"  
  
"Ok," Claire replied, and in front of her mother, and other onlookers, wrapped her arms around Murdoch's neck, and kissed him quickly.  
  
She stepped down, and stood again by her mother, and Clara. Clara wasn't looking, but Noelle was absolutely shocked. She was standing there, wide mouthed, speechless.  
  
She scoffed several times, but couldn't manage to say anything. When Claire was close to her, Noelle hissed, "When we arrive in America, boy, are you going to be in a lot of strife, missy!"  
  
Claire smirked. She didn't care. Clara sat down on a deckchair, waiting patiently for a boat.  
  
"Well, Clara, I hope you're not as bad as Claire, falling in love with an officer." Noelle stood up straight and brushed the creases out of her dress.  
  
Clara had to laugh at that one.  
  
"We are swung out and ready, sir." Lightoller informed Smith.  
  
Smith was still in shock, and mumbled something out.  
  
"Hadn't we better get the women and children, into the boats, sir?" Lightoller was desperately trying to hear what Smith was saying, over all the noise of the steam being let out of the funnels.  
  
"Women and children first, yes." He finally said.  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
Lightoller stepped towards the crowd closest to him, which happened to be the crowd that Clara, Claire and Noelle were in.  
  
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE! STEP THIS WAY PLEASE, THAT'S RIGHT, COME TOWARDS ME. Thankyou. Good."  
  
Lightoller gestured for the crowd to come towards him, so he could start loading the boats. The loud noise finally died down, and he was able to speak normally.  
  
"For the time being, I shall require only women and children."  
  
Clara realized it was Lightoller, just like Claire had realized it was Murdoch, and pushed to the front of the crowd, to speak with him.  
  
Lightoller glanced down at Clara, thinking it was just another passenger, and looked away, but when he realized that it was, in fact, Clara, he peered at her."  
  
"Charles! Charles! Oh, thank god you're alright."  
  
"Yes, Im fine."  
  
"May I stay with you, until you leave?" Clara asked sweetly.  
  
"Clara? What?! No! I have a job to do, and that job is to load passengers, such as yourself, into lifeboats, and I can't do that, if you're hanging off me all the time!" Lightoller had to get this out to Clara, for her sake, not as an act of anger. Not to upset her.  
  
Clara started a sob. She was very offended by what he had said.  
  
Lightoller noticed this, and, while trying to do his job, managed to speak with Clara at the same time.  
  
"Clara, I love you. Truly, I do. Even at this moment. But at a time this busy, we have no time for sweet talk, ok?" Lightoller tried to persuade Clara, but she backed away.  
  
Noelle, seeing Lightoller express his love for Clara, left her absolutely shocked. This was a double take! She had twins, after all.  
  
Who were in love with ship officers, of all people.  
  
Noelle snapped out of her thoughts when she saw Clara backing away from her only opportunity to hop into a lifeboat.  
  
"Clara, come on. I'm sorry. Please, can you get into the boat, for me?" Lightoller tried his best to comfort Clara, but she resisted him.  
  
"Goodbye Charles. Mother, and Claire alike." Clara ignored Noelle and Claire's yells to get her to come back.  
  
She just kept strutting off, until she reached the B-deck foyer. 


	21. Back to her room

*Chapter 21*  
  
Clara made her way up the Grand Staircase, and headed to her room.  
  
Upon arrival, she slammed the door shut, and gathered up all her dresses, jewellery, and other possessions. She hauled them all into a huge trunk, and put it aside, in case she wanted to go back outside.  
  
Then, she flopped onto her bed, and lay there, going over thoughts in her head.  
  
"I can't do my job if you're hanging off me all the time!" Clara frowned as she recalled Lightoller's words in her mind.  
  
"Well, if you don't have time for me, then I don't have time for YOU!" Clara yelled out, hauling her hand mirror into the wall.  
  
She broke out into tears, her face buried in her pillow.  
  
Clara had fallen head over heels for Lightoller in four days. It was, for her, love at first sight. Now he was pushing her away, but for her own safety. The thought that Lightoller was trying to save her didn't even cross her mind.  
  
"There's no use in staying here," Clara mumbled into her pillow.  
  
She dragged herself up, off the bed, and moved towards the mirror.  
  
She looked a mess, with lipstick smeared all over her face, and her hair was standing out on end.  
  
She washed her face, and brushed her hair. She then headed out to the elevators, slowly.  
  
Out on the boat deck, the officers, and other crewmembers, were trying to load the lifeboats with only women and children. Men were pushing in, and the lifeboats were being launched half full.  
  
Mr Andrews noticed this, and started off to Lightoller, who was preparing to lower a nearly empty boat.  
  
"Mr Lightoller! Why are the boats being launched half full?"  
  
"Not now, Mr Andrews."  
  
Andrews pointed to the boat Lightoller was about to lower.  
  
"Look, there, a boat with 20 or so, with room for 65! And I saw one boat with only 12!"  
  
"Well, we weren't sure of the weight, Mr Andrews. These boats may buckle." Lightoller tried his best to keep a straight face.  
  
"Rubbish. They were tested in Belfast with the weight of 70 men! Now, fill these boats, Mr Lightoller, for god's sake, man!"  
  
Lightoller sighed, and turned to face the crowd.  
  
"Please, I need more women and children please," He shouted. 


	22. Putting herself in alot of danger

*Chapter 22*  
  
As Clara walked past windows of the boat deck, she saw the boats being lowered, and worried for a moment.  
  
What if the boats were all gone by the time she decided to come out on deck? Oh well.  
  
Clara looked out another window, and looked at the band playing.  
  
She raised an eyebrow.  
  
'Why the hell are they playing while the ship is sinking?'  
  
As Clara neared the elevators, she saw that they were closed. There was no operator in them, and people were standing in them, particularly small children, pretending they were locked in jail.  
  
Clara sighed, and climbed down the main stairwell to C-deck.  
  
There was an array of second and third class passengers swarming about the corridors. She couldn't make her way through, so she headed to the middle end of D-deck, where the water, from the bow end, was slowly reaching the top of the stairs, from E-deck.  
  
Clara had never been to D-deck before.  
  
She walked along Scotland road, the longest and widest passageway, extending the length of the ship.  
  
There weren't many passengers about, mostly stewards checking that nobody was in the staterooms.  
  
When a steward, passing Clara, noticed at she didn't have a lifebelt on, and was in first class, he took her arm, and led her out onto the boat deck.  
  
"Come on, miss, put a lifebelt on, and get in a lifeboat," the steward demanded.  
  
Clara struggled to free herself under the steward's grip.  
  
"Let go of me! NOW!"  
  
The steward showed no sign of releasing Clara.  
  
"You're going the wrong way! LISTEN!" She screamed at him, and kicked his leg. He finally let go and scurried off.  
  
"Bloody stewards!" Clara exclaimed to nearby people, as she straightened up her coat.  
  
But nobody understood what she was saying, as they were all foreigners. They were all staring at her, in astonishment, as she hurried off. It was rather rare to see a rich person on Scotland Road.  
  
In the back of her mind, Clara knew she had to evacuate the sinking ship, but she felt the stupid need to tour around the lower decks first.  
  
Little did she know that she was putting herself in a lot of danger.  
  
Out on the boat deck, Lightoller had nearly finished loading boat number 13, when he came across a second-class lady, who asked him to hold the boat, while she retrieved her luggage from her room.  
  
Lightoller was frustrated at this nonsense, so he literally threw her into the lifeboat, and ordered her to sit down.  
  
"She's the lot," he informed Lowe.  
  
"Uh, sir, you've only filled this boat with 60. Surely you can fit 65? Save more lives!" Lowe commented, and Lightoller agreed.  
  
"Right then."  
  
Men were attempting to pass Lightoller and swamp the boat, but he acted quickly.  
  
He pulled out his empty revolver, and aimed it at the crowd.  
  
"Get back, I say! Or I'll shoot you all like dogs. Keep order here, keep order, I say!" he shouted at the crowd, and managed to keep them under control.  
  
He quickly turned, his back facing them, and ordered Lowe to man the boat. Lowe nodded, and hopped onto the boat.  
  
Lightoller broke open his revolver, and loaded it with bullets.  
  
Lowe was trying to calm the occupants of the boat.  
  
"Right. Is everybody all right? Nobody panic!" he spoke in his Welsh accent.  
  
Lightoller found Murdoch, and got him to lower the boat.  
  
"Where are you going, Mr Lightoller?" Smith asked, as Lightoller passed the officers' quarters.  
  
"Bathroom, sir." Lightoller lied. He really had to get to Clara, to save her from the rapidly flooding ship. He knew he was meant to be doing his job, but in an emergency like this, he just had to get to her. 


	23. I have to find her

*Chapter 23*  
  
Meanwhile, Claire and Noelle, along with the 16 other occupants of boat 7, watched, terrified, as the large White Star Liner was going down by the bow.  
  
"Now there's something you don't see everyday," Claire exclaimed, as the people in the boat looked on at Titanic.  
  
"That is true, indeed." A French accent came from behind Claire. She turned her head, to see Micheline sitting behind her.  
  
Micheline recognized Claire, and thinking it was Clara, she spoke to her.  
  
"Clara, where is your sister?" Micheline asked.  
  
Claire laughed sarcastically.  
  
"Ok, first of all, I'm Claire." Claire took a deep breath. "And Clara's still on the ship." Claire was trying in vain not to cry. She was managing to hold back tears.  
  
Back on the ship, Clara entered the first class reception room, on D-deck, and walked down the stairs to the third class dining room on E-Deck, the deck that was just about fully flooded.  
  
The whole room was deserted now, as most of the third class passengers were waiting behind locked gates, trying to break them open.  
  
Clara walked slowly and cautiously, through the dining room, when all of a sudden, something on the floor caught her eye. She bent down, and realized it was a child's doll.  
  
Clara picked it up, and placed it on a nearby table.  
  
She stopped, again, because this time, she heard creaking and trickling. She slowly turned, only to find that the water was surging up the dining room.  
  
Clara screamed, and ran as fast as she could out of the dining room, and up the stairs, to the D-deck reception area. She headed to the balcony, looking over the third class room, and watched as it became engulfed in seawater.  
  
Clara looked down at the foot of the stairs, and realised that water was starting to creep up to the next deck. She gasped, and again, hurried off, to the main stairwell.  
  
Why she didn't head up the grand staircase? We'll never know.  
  
Lightoller frantically searched around for Clara, and he faintly remembered that her stateroom was A-24. He wasn't completely sure, but he headed up to the A-deck staterooms, anyway, and just as he reached the fancy looking corridor, a steward pushed him back.  
  
"Sir, you're not supposed to be here." The steward blocked Lightoller's every move.  
  
"Look, you don't understand. My... fiancée is stranded in her stateroom, and she is asleep. I have to find her." Lightoller lied about Clara being his fiancée. He needed to get to her room, anyhow.  
  
"And just who do you think you are?!" The steward asked, angrily.  
  
"Second Officer Lightoller."  
  
The steward looked stunned, and Lightoller pushed past him with ease.  
  
Finally, he reached A-24, and opened the door, but Clara was nowhere to be seen. Lightoller sighed.  
  
"Oh, god. She could be anywhere on this ship!" He sank onto Claras bed, and grasped her pillow, holding it as if it were her. He felt something moist against his face. He pulled the pillow away, and noticed it had tears and makeup smudged onto it.  
  
'She's been crying.'  
  
Lightoller wasn't going to leave Clara, on the ship to drown, so he stood up, and started running fast, down the stairs to the entrance to C-deck.  
  
He went to C-deck, as he knew that Clara enjoying roaming around the lower decks, in her spare time.  
  
Lightoller turned his head left and right, but couldn't see Clara.  
  
"Dammit!"  
  
He hurried down to D-deck.  
  
Clara was behind a gate, which was locked, and she couldn't get through to the next deck.  
  
"Oh, no! Please!" She shook the gate vigorously. "Help! Is someone there?"  
  
She leaned her head on the gate and closed her eyes. She opened them she felt water swirling around. in her shoes!  
  
Clara looked down, and shrieked.  
  
'There's no bloody use in trying to open the gate.'  
  
She paced back down the stairs, only to come face-to-face with waist deep water.  
  
"This is the only way out!" Clara said, out aloud. "Oh, god!"  
  
There was no turning back now. There was no time to worry about her dress and coat becoming soaked with saltwater.  
  
"Bloody hell."  
  
Clara grabbed onto the railing on the ceiling, and, as she started to wade in the water, she screamed.  
  
It was freezing cold! As cold as lying in the snow!  
  
She kept wading and pushing through the water, until she reached D-deck reception room, again. She was about to make her way up the grand staircase, when suddenly, she heard something.  
  
It sounded like a man shouting, "A-a!"  
  
Clara glanced down quickly at the water swirling around the floor, and suddenly, the ship creaked, and fell forward. Clara nearly fell over, and she was now standing on a hill.  
  
Now the voice sounded like, "Lara."  
  
Clara whipped her head around the corner, instinctively, as though she had heard 'Clara.'  
  
"CLARA! CLARA! ARE YOU IN HERE?"  
  
Clara gasped, and became fully alert. She hopped back into the water, and saw a man dressed in navy, and a dark cap.  
  
It could only be one person.  
  
"CHARLES! CHARLES! IM IN HERE! LOOK STRAIGHT AHEAD!" Clara yelled, the loudest she'd ever raised her voice.  
  
Lightoller spotted her. He began to wade towards her, and when they were near, Clara burst into tears, Lightoller, the same.  
  
They fell into each other's arms, and Clara buried her face into Lightoller's shoulder.  
  
"I'm sorry, Clara."  
  
"I'm sorry too."  
  
Clara looked up, and her eyes met Lightoller's.  
  
"I love you, Charles."  
  
Lightoller kissed Clara's forehead, and carried her up the grand staircase.  
  
When they reached C-deck, they ran up the stairs as fast as they could, hoping to catch one of the last lifeboats. 


	24. Murdoch's fate

*Chapter 24*  
  
In Claire's boat, several ladies shrieked, and stood up.  
  
"What's the matter with you women?" the seaman at the tiller yelled to the ladies.  
  
He looked down, and not being very far away from Titanic, realized that the suction from the sinking liner had pulled the plug out of the bottom of the lifeboat, and it was quickly flooding.  
  
The plug was nowhere to be seen, and everyone started to panic.  
  
"Everyone, you're gonna have to hop out, if you don't want to sink in this boat!" The seaman jumped out of the boat, and into the icy water, followed by Claire, Micheline, and the very reluctant Noelle.  
  
"Come on! This way! Follow me!" Claire ordered the two women behind her.  
  
When she turned around, however, Noelle and Micheline were nowhere to be seen.  
  
"No!" Claire slammed all the water around her, and swam all the way back to Titanic.  
  
She climbed through a window of the third class promenade deck, and hurried to a stairwell, to lead her up to the boat deck. She felt as if she were walking up a hill.  
  
Clara and Lightoller made it outside, to the boat deck, which was crowded by third class men, mainly.  
  
Lightoller stepped up, onto a platform, to see over the heads of the men.  
  
He saw Murdoch, trying to control swarming men, who were trying to get onto one of the last boats.  
  
Lightoller stepped back down, and held Clara.  
  
"Murdoch's over there. He seems to be working as best as he can, to keep order," Lightoller explained.  
  
Clara looked aft, and had to squint, as she saw a girl that looked exactly like Claire, running towards her.  
  
"Claire?!" Clara yelled.  
  
"Yeah! Its me." Claire raced up to Clara, and jumped into her arms, nearly sending her toppling over. Claire hugged Clara, the biggest hug she'd ever given anybody.  
  
"What are you doing here? Weren't you on the lifeboat?" Clara asked, surprised.  
  
"Yeah, but it capsized. What's going on here? What the hell?!" Claire looked ahead of her, as she heard a gunshot.  
  
Lightoller lifted Clara, and Claire onto the platform, before climbing up himself.  
  
Claire saw Murdoch, absolutely out of control.  
  
"I'll shoot any man who tries to get past me! Get back!"  
  
A man pushed was accidentally pushed forward, and Murdoch shot him dead.  
  
Claire watched, wide-eyed, in absolute shock. What on earth had Murdoch done?  
  
"Bastard!" She heard the dead man's friend say to Murdoch.  
  
Murdoch looked down at the blood flowing from the dead man.  
  
He backed away, and put his hand to his head to salute. This was all too much for him.  
  
Claire screamed, and as he put a gun to his head, she leaped out, over the crowd, coming down just in front of Murdoch.  
  
"WILL! NO!"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Claire looked sadly at Murdoch.  
  
He looked at Claire, realizing there were people in his life that still loved him.  
  
Claire stumbled over to him, and yelled in his face.  
  
"What the hell are you doing, trying to kill yourself?! I love you, for gods sake!"  
  
"Claire, I love you too, I just can't take the guilt anymore."  
  
"You don't have to do this!" Claire shouted in his face, and grasped his hands.  
  
Murdoch leaned forward, and wrapped his arms around Claire's waist. He kissed her, the sweetest kiss he had ever given any woman in his entire life.  
  
He pulled away promptly.  
  
"Sorry Claire. I love you, my darling, and I always will."  
  
Murdoch returned the gun to his head, and diverted his gaze away from Claire.  
  
Claire jumped forward, but was held back by the dead mans friend.  
  
All of a sudden, Clara gasped, and had a flashback to when she had said, "Something about Murdoch makes me feel uncomfortable."  
  
This was it. This was the reason. He was a crazy man. He was about to commit suicide.  
  
Murdoch shot himself, dying instantly, and flipping over backwards overboard.  
  
Claire fainted.  
  
Lightoller and Clara cleared the path, as they moved towards Claire, who was lying on the ground.  
  
Lightoller picked her up, threw her over his shoulder, and went to look for a lifeboat. 


	25. Onto Collapsible B

*Chapter 25*  
  
Lightoller found several men trying to free Collapsible B off the roof of the officers' quarters.  
  
The men had rocked the boat off, too hard, and it was now upside down, unable to be turned over the right way, because there was absolutely no time left.  
  
The water, which had engulfed the bow, was now spreading through the wheelhouse, the bridge, and up to where the overturned boat was. Suddenly, it was washed overboard.  
  
"Girls, there's no other boats, you've got to hop onto this one."  
  
Lightoller assisted Clara and the unconscious Claire in getting onto the boat.  
  
Then just as he grabbed the side of the boat to get on, he heard cables snapping, and whipping the water.  
  
Clara looked up, and Lightoller turned his head, to see the great forward funnel toppling over, with a humongous metal groan, slapping the water upon contact, crushing those in its path, and creating a large tidal wave.  
  
It narrowly missed the overturned boat, but the wave was so great, that it sent the boat some 150 feet away, along with all its occupants.  
  
Lightoller was washed onto the boat, and Clara gripped his hands tightly, to prevent him from coming off.  
  
Suddenly, Clara was shocked by something. It never occurred to her, the fact that she wasn't holding onto Claire, as the wave washed over the boat.  
  
Lying over the boat, Clara screamed Claires name, several times.  
  
"Its alright, Miss Sherbrooke. I've got her."  
  
Clara jerked her head around quickly, and saw that it was Bride and Phillips, holding onto Claire firmly.  
  
Clara let go of Lightoller, who was now holding onto the rudder of the boat, and slid over to Bride, and hugged him.  
  
"Oh, thankyou, so much, Mr Bride, and you, Mr Phillips."  
  
Bride and Phillips smiled politely.  
  
Clara leaned back onto Lightoller, and he held her for the time being.  
  
All the occupants of the overturned boat watched, as the lights of Titanic flickered, and went out.  
  
Clara gasped, and held onto Lightoller.  
  
Just then, she heard planks of wood, coming loose, and cracking sounds, coming from the ship. Suddenly, with a huge pull, and a sound like an explosion, the Titanic split in half, before everyone's eyes.  
  
"Oh my god," Clara breathed, and watched the liner's death.  
  
The stern of Titanic fell back, almost level, and as the bow started to sink, vertically, it pulled the stern upright, and finally, detached. The stern bobbed in the ocean for a few minutes, in which Claire awoke, in Bride's arms, in just enough time to see the Titanic finally founder. The stern finally flooded, and started to fall into the ocean. Finally, it disappeared.  
  
That was the end of Titanic.  
  
The unsinkable ship, which had in fact, sunk.  
  
Claire turned around, and faced Bride.  
  
"What am I doing here?" she asked, a little panicky.  
  
"Claire, you fainted. We were washed onto this boat, so we could stay here, until the rescue boat arrives." Clara reassured Claire.  
  
"That's right, Carpathia should be here in a couple of hours," Phillips said, shakily.  
  
"Oh. How did I faint?"  
  
Not wanting to send Claire into a mass of tears, Lightoller just told her that she froze, in the cold water.  
  
The ocean, now, was full of screams and yells of people, stranded, which were drowning or freezing to death. Mr Wilde was floating on a nearby plank of wood, blowing his whistle.  
  
"Return... the boats!" he yelled.  
  
But the boats weren't going to return at all.  
  
The occupants feared that, by going back to save drowning people, they would swamp the boats, and capsize each one of them. So they just kept rowing away. 


	26. Strange Encounter

*Chapter 26*  
  
In the meantime, several people clung to collapsible B, overturned, and as more people tried to come onto the boat, a man told them all that if any more people climbed on board, then it would sink.  
  
That was true. 28 people took refuge on that boat, and it was steady, on the calm ocean.  
  
Clara leaned on Lightoller, who had his arms around her, protectively, and Claire looked around at all the occupants of the boat, who were lying there, all still, and quiet, although the people in the sea were still shouting and screaming.  
  
Claire had no protective arms to go around her. She looked longingly at Clara and Lightoller.  
  
"Hey, Mr Lightoller, um, which officers survived?" Claire whispered.  
  
Lightoller took a deep breath, and told Claire from his own accounts.  
  
"Well, Claire, from my knowledge, myself, Mr Pitman, and Mr Lowe. But I'm only assuming."  
  
"Oh." Claire had completely forgotten about Murdochs suicide. "Right."  
  
She leaned back, and fell onto Henry Jennis, a 17-year-old first class boy.  
  
Claire and Clara were the only females on board the overturned collapsible, and were very lucky to be alive.  
  
After about 15 minutes of reshuffling themselves on the upturned hull, the occupants found their final positions at last, and some attempted to sleep.  
  
It was absolutely freezing cold. Someone was sitting on Bride's feet, crushing them, but he was too weak to move, or ask the man to move. It was 2:45am  
  
At 3am, the screams died down, probably because people had frozen to death.  
  
Clara was the only one on collapsible B that was still awake. She found it impossible to sleep in such horrendous conditions. She heard a lifeboat come about, and it was rescuing people in the water who were still alive.  
  
Clara heard splashing behind her. Cautiously, she turned her head, and found herself staring into the glazed over eyes of James Moody. She jolted. She wasn't sure whether he was alive or dead, so she poked him in the nose, and he blinked, slowly, and managed to whisper to Clara.  
  
"Miss Sherbrooke. Goodnight."  
  
Clara looked horrified, as though it were a dead person talking to her.  
  
Then, Moody smiled. That same, meaningful smile he had done earlier on Sunday.  
  
Clara gasped and had a flashback to when he had smiled at her. She shook Lightoller to show him Moody, but when she looked back behind her, Moody was just a corpse, floating like a cork in the water, now. He had a dreamy look on his face, which scared Clara a little.  
  
She then fell asleep, deciding that 24 hours of no sleep would do her no good in the morning. 


	27. During the night

*Chapter 27*  
  
It was now 6:00am, and Clara awoke with a start. Claire was holding her, and Lightoller was ordering the men who were awake, on the boat, to rock from side to side, to battle the waves of the sea and keep the nearly sinking collapsible afloat.  
  
Finally, the sea went calm, and everyone was able to sit down again.  
  
Clara turned and looked at Claire.  
  
"Hey. Great place to wake up, eh?" Claire joked, as Clara was a little confused.  
  
"Uh, right. Oh, Charles!" Clara scrambled out of Claire's hold, and slid over to Lightoller.  
  
"Morning Clara. Are you alright?" Lightoller asked.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine. I had a bit of a strange experience during the night, after everybody fell asleep."  
  
"What happened?" Lightoller looked rather interested.  
  
"Well, I looked behind me, as I heard some splashing, and I found myself staring into the face of Mr Moody, and"- Clara was interrupted by Lightoller.  
  
He gasped, and slowly whispered, "Oh my god."  
  
"What? What is it?" Clara asked.  
  
"Just keep talking." Lightoller said.  
  
"Anyway, and then, I gasped, and he said to me, 'Goodnight, Miss Sherbrooke,' and he smiled at me, like the strange smile he gave me yesterday. Anyhow, then I had a flashback, to that day he smiled at me, as if he was possessed or something, and when I snapped out of it, I peered behind me again, at him, but now he was just a mere corpse floating like a cork. He looked very frozen, as if he'd been dead for at least an hour, making it impossible for him to have been speaking with me. Scary, really."  
  
Clara realised that she had a whole group of faces staring at her, as is she were crazy.  
  
"Are you sure it wasn't a dream?" Lightoller asked, trying not to laugh.  
  
"YES! I SAW HIM. IM NOT STUPID. I DON'T IMAGINE THINGS." Clara retorted, frustrated that even Lightoller didn't believe her.  
  
"Uh, Officer Lightoller," a man replied, as he pointed aft, in the sea, with a panic-stricken expression on his face.  
  
Lightoller turned, and shone his torch - right in Moody's face! - Finding it apparent that he was, in fact, dead.  
  
"Oh, gross!" Claire scoffed, as she caught a glimpse of the frozen body.  
  
The sea, until about 7am was a scene right from a painting: A calm ocean, with several lifeboats scattered around, here and there.  
  
"Mr Bride, are there any ships coming to rescue us?" Clara asked Bride, who was still asleep.  
  
She decided to repeat the question to Phillips, who appeared to be asleep as well.  
  
"Wake them up, love. We need the information," A stoker told Clara.  
  
Clara shook Bride, and he woke up, slowly. She then shook Phillips. He didn't even flinch. Clara shook him harder, and pulled his eyelids open, but he still didn't move.  
  
"Uh-oh." Clara stammered, as she realised that Phillips wasn't going to wake up.  
  
Tears started lightly flowing from Clara's eyes, as she realised that there was a dead man on board, and he was Bride's best friend.  
  
Lightoller gently pulled Clara towards him, and he reassured her that everything was going to be fine. He looked up, and spotted a ship's lights, coming straight towards them. 


	28. Finally Rescued

*Chapter 28*  
  
"Incoming!" Lightoller pointed, and several occupants turned to see the ship.  
  
"That's Carpathia, for sure," Bride whispered.  
  
"Finally," Claire sighed.  
  
Lifeboats were rowing towards Carpathia, the rescue ship, and by now, one lifeboat had its occupants climb the rope ladder leading to the boat deck of Carpathia.  
  
It was boat 14, with Lowe in command. He had come back to rescue some of the alive people, still in the water, at about 3am. It was the boat that Clara had seen.  
  
"Get the falls hooked up on that boat. We gotta pull her on board," an officer of Carpathia shouted from the boat deck, to Lowe.  
  
"Sorry, sir. I have to go back, there's a whole group of people stranded on an overturned collapsible," Lowe replied.  
  
He brought two crewmembers on board with him, and started to row back to where collapsible B was floating.  
  
Clara watched intently at the lifeboats being pulled onboard Carpathia, and the passengers climbing aboard the smaller ship.  
  
Claire watched in disbelief, as the Carpathia moved ever so slowly, picking up passengers from lifeboats.  
  
Carpathia was tiny, compared to Titanic. You could almost fit two Carpathias into Titanic, it was that big.  
  
Just a few hours ago, they were sailing on the grandest ship in the world; now Claire and Clara were on this tiny collapsible, in the middle of the North Atlantic.  
  
All of a sudden, something hit Claire.  
  
"MOM!" Claire jumped up and yelled. "Where's Mom?"  
  
"I don't know. Wasn't she on that lifeboat with you?" Clara asked.  
  
"Yeah, but then she swam off, somewhere." Claires voice trailed off, and she sat back down.  
  
"Relax, we'll find your mom when we get onboard Carpathia," Lightoller reassured.  
  
Lowe finally reached the overturned boat, and started to pull passengers onto his lifeboat. As Clara held Lowe's hands, to get in the boat, her feet slipped, and she nearly fell into the water, but Lightoller and Claire caught her.  
  
"Im sorry, it's just that I'm so cold!" Clara apologized.  
  
"Oh, don't be sorry." Lowe waved his hand dismissively.  
  
Finally, he managed to pull all 28 people from the boat, onto his own boat.  
  
Bride was wincing in pain, which attracted Clara's attention. She tapped him on the shoulder, from behind.  
  
"Uh, Mr Bride, are you alright?"  
  
Bride turned to face Clara.  
  
"I can't feel my feet."  
  
Clara peered underneath the blanket at Bride's feet, which were purple, and swollen to nearly three times their size. Obviously, they had been frozen and crushed.  
  
"We'll get you to Carpathia's hospital as soon as we get on board," Clara assured Bride.  
  
"We?" He asked, confused.  
  
Clara leaned over and whispered, "Me." She sat back down, and Bride smiled.  
  
It wasn't a long journey to Carpathia, taking only ten minutes.  
  
"I saved six people from the water. Three of them died, I think, and then, I noticed your collapsible floating nearby, so as soon as I dropped off my passengers, I came to rescue your boat," Lowe explained to Lightoller, as he handed him a blanket.  
  
"Well, I'm glad you're alright. Had it not have been for me ordering you to man that boat, you would've met an icy death." Lightoller changed his expression to seriousness, and whispered to Lowe, making sure Claire couldn't hear "You know Will shot himself, don't you?"  
  
Lowe hung his head. "Yes, I'm afraid so. A woman told me."  
  
At last, they reached Carpathia. 


	29. A Moment With Bride

*Chapter 29*  
  
One by one they made it up the ladder, with a few exceptions. Those who were too frozen, tired, or weak, had a rope slung under their arms, and were pulled up.  
  
Just as Clara had promised, she excused herself for a moment, to take Bride to the hospital, with the help of Quartermaster Hitchens.  
  
"I had a stupid lot in my boat," Hitchens complained, "They all wanted to row the boat, go back and pick up more passengers, and THROW ME OVERBOARD! And this lady, she was so vulgar, she just took command of the boat, pushed me right down, she did!"  
  
"Well, if you were nicer to them, they wouldn't have treated you like that," Clara explained, trying not to laugh at Hitchens' exaggerated wording.  
  
Finally, they pushed through the hospital doors, setting Bride down on a bed.  
  
"I'll be leaving now, if that's alright," Hitchens said, as he edged out of the room.  
  
A nurse scrambled into the hospital, wrapping heat packs around Bride's feet to help reduce the swelling.  
  
Clara sat down on a chair beside Bride's bed, soaking it a little, from her wet clothes. Bride took Clara's hand in his own.  
  
"Thankyou Clara, for bringing me here."  
  
"My pleasure," she laughed.  
  
"Do you know what happened to Jack? Is he still alive?"  
  
Clara felt tears welling up, and started to force them back.  
  
"Um, he died, Harold." Clara realised that she'd called Bride by his first name, and blushed, as she only called men by their first name is she was a very close friend. Well, she had grown quite fond of Bride, and was somewhat close to him.  
  
Bride nodded, loose tears flowing off his face.  
  
"Im sorry," Clara said, sympathetically.  
  
"No, it's alright. Now I just have to find myself a new best friend, and a new assistant, that's all."  
  
Bride tried to compose himself. Then he flashed a wide grin at Clara, which made her giggle.  
  
Clara leaned down, and Bride took her in his arms, the both of them embracing for a few minutes.  
  
Eventually, Clara pulled away from Bride, and bid him farewell.  
  
"Goodbye, for now, Harold Bride."  
  
"But not forever." Bride winked.  
  
Clara strolled out of the room, and came to a long flight of stairs, leading up to the boat deck. Memories of Titanic's flooded staircase filled her mind, and she started to cry, deciding to take the elevator instead.  
  
When she made it to the boat deck, Lightoller was waiting for her. Taking her in a big embrace, he spoke softly.  
  
"I'm so glad you're ok, if I had've lost you, on that collapsible, when the wave washed over us, I would never have forgiven myself."  
  
"Me neither," Clara said, and kissed him firmly on his lips.  
  
When they parted, they walked along the deck, looking for anyone familiar.  
  
Hundreds of widows wept in corners, while others were persistently asking stewards if they had seen their husband/son/brother.  
  
Clara felt a tap on her shoulder, so she turned her head, to come face to face with Micheline, who was dry as a bone, and Claire, who was soaked from head to toe.  
  
"Micheline!" Clara hugged Micheline, and Claire.  
  
"Oh, yeah, I've been meaning to ask you, Michelle, where did you and my mom go, after our boat sank?" Claire asked, purposely calling Micheline, Michelle. 


	30. Claire's outburst

*Chapter 30*  
  
Micheline chuckled.  
  
"Well, we swam over to a boat that was only about five or so feet away."  
  
Claire's jaw dropped. Micheline laughed and went on.  
  
"We tried calling you, Claire, but you were too busy swimming over to the ship. But at least you got off safely, that's the main thing."  
  
Clara snorted a laugh, and Claire took it too seriously, bursting with anger.  
  
"AND YOU SAW ME DID YOU? YOU DIDN'T GRAB MY ARM, OR ANYTHING!" Claire grasped Michelines arm, and shook it vigorously. Micheline was horrified, as Claire kept yelling right in her face.  
  
"WHY DIDN'T I SEE A BLOODY BOAT, FIVE FEET AWAY? HUH?! TELL ME, YOU LITTLE FRENCH" -  
  
Lightoller came up behind Claire, clasped a hand over her mouth, and grabbed her arms, pulling her away.  
  
This was certainly no way for a young lady to behave.  
  
Micheline stared at Claire, with shock. Claire's handprint was on her arm. A few nearby people backed away, fearing Claire would yell at them, as well.  
  
Clara rushed over to Micheline, and put a comforting arm around her.  
  
"Are you alright?" Clara asked sympathetically.  
  
Micheline hung her head, and closed her eyes.  
  
"What did I do wrong? I did not intend to offend her. I thought she liked me. And, she hurt my arm. See?" She lifted her sleeve.  
  
"Im sorry. Claire does have her little outbursts, from time to time. And she does have a very strong grip. The trouble is, she uses it on the wrong people."  
  
Micheline lifted her head to look at Clara.  
  
"It's alright Micheline, don't be afraid of Claire. She's a nice person, you know," Clara said, tucking Micheline's brown curls behind her ears.  
  
"But why isn't she proper and polite? Being high society and all."  
  
"Well, surprising as it may seem, Micheline, Claire was as polite as me. In fact, we were exactly identical in every way. But then she went on a holiday to America, for a year, and when she returned, I was shocked to see that her politeness had disappeared, she had developed an inappropriate behaviour, and a whole new vocabulary of improper words."  
  
"I see." Micheline smiled. "Improper words," she mocked, in Clara's polite English accent.  
  
Clara giggled. "Do I really sound like that?"  
  
"Yes! All the time!" Micheline cracked up laughing, which was a good sign, considering she was close to tears a few moments ago.  
  
Meanwhile, Lightoller had taken Claire to a corner where she could calm down.  
  
"What was all that for?" he asked, angrily.  
  
Claire rolled her eyes and scoffed.  
  
"She really gets on my nerves, that stupid girl. She was acting like she was so much better than me, getting into a lifeboat, while I was on top of an upturned collapsible."  
  
"Don't take it so seriously. She was only joking." Lightoller assured Claire, and brought her back out to Clara and Micheline.  
  
Micheline heard Claires voice and looked up. Then she hid behind Clara.  
  
"Hey, um, Micheline, I'm really sorry. Don't get the impression that I'm bad. Cause I'm not. Ok? I'm really nice. You know that."  
  
"That's ok, then," Micheline said softly, from behind Clara. 


	31. The Truth

*Chapter 31*  
  
Just then, an immigration officer walked up to the group, and asked them for their names.  
  
"Excuse me, but why do you see the need for us to give you our names?" Clara asked, acting all proper.  
  
"Oh, well, I suppose you lot don't want to be the last people on the survivor list, them." The officer shut his folder and turned to walk away.  
  
"Wait! We'll tell you our names! Only if you let us look at the list," Claire said, as if she were making a deal.  
  
"Alright then. Can I take your name, please, love?"  
  
They all went around the group, stating their names.  
  
"Claire Annabella Sherbrooke."  
  
"Micheline Eleanor Diore."  
  
"Clara Pearl Sherbrooke."  
  
"Charles Herbert Lightoller. Oh, uh, I was second officer of Titanic," he pointed out.  
  
"All right then. Here you go." The officer handed Claire the folder, and patiently waited.  
  
"Micheline, Mr Lightoller, is there anyone you need to look up?" Claire asked, questioningly.  
  
"Oh, no of course, Im right." Lightoller replied, stepping back a little.  
  
Micheline shook her head.  
  
"S. Look under S!" Clara hissed, when she found Claire looking under other names.  
  
"Oh my god! Aha! Look! Clara!" Claire yelled excitedly.  
  
"What? What is it?"  
  
"NOELLE LORIELLE SHERBROOKE!" Claire yelled in Clara's face, jumping up and down excitedly.  
  
"Yes! She's alive!" Clara laughed, and danced around in circles, hand-in- hand with Claire.  
  
"Ok, ok. Look for M. I wonder if Will survived?" Claire said, hurriedly flicking through the pages of the folder.  
  
Clara shot a nervous glance at Lightoller, who walked over to her, and rested his hands on her shoulders, from behind.  
  
'Oh, no.' Clara thought. 'But she has to find out sooner or later. How could she not remember him committing suicide? She saw the whole thing!'  
  
Suddenly, Claire stopped running her finger down the page, and looked ever so slowly at Clara.  
  
Clara was trying to keep a straight face.  
  
"Why isn't he on the list?" Claire asked, cautiously, so slow, as though she were pronouncing words. She handed the folder back to the officer, who hurried away.  
  
"Um, who?" Clara asked, as though she had no idea who Clare was on about.  
  
"Will."  
  
Clara and Lightoller looked down.  
  
"He died, didn't he?" Claire said, about to burst into a ball of emotions.  
  
Clara and Lightoller, still looking down, remained silent.  
  
"You two knew, the whole time. And you didn't say anything? You know how much hope I'd had in me, thinking that he was alive and well?"  
  
"Claire, we" - Clara tried to explain herself.  
  
Claire raised her hand up, indicating silence.  
  
"No. It's all right. Don't try and explain. You know how lucky you two are, to have each other? At least Will told me that he loved me. You know, we'd only known each other for what? Three days? And it was absolutely love at first sight, just like you two. I never believed in love at first sight, but now I do. He made me believe. I wish he was here!" Claire burst into that ball of emotions, crying more than ever, and Clara and Lightoller held he the whole time.  
  
After about five minutes of blubbering, Claire looked up.  
  
"I guess he was a little too old for me, though. How'd he die?"  
  
Lightoller decided to explain.  
  
"Well, he was trying to control a whole group of men trying to swamp the boats, and a man was accidentally pushed forward. William had told everyone that if someone pushed past him, they would be shot. So, not thinking at all, he automatically shot the man, and it took him a while to realise what he'd done. The work was just getting too hard for him to cope with. You could see it in his eyes. Then, he put his hand to his head, as to salute, and then, you jumped right over the crowd and tried to stop him. He told you that he loved you, and then he shot himself in the head, flipping overboard. After that, you fainted."  
  
"I did?" Claire asked, wide-eyed.  
  
"Yes, so when we were on the collapsible, and you asked which of the officers were alive, and we didn't mention Mr Murdoch, it was rather odd seeing you so calm about it. We thought you would go all hysterical," Clara exclaimed.  
  
"I must've lost my memory, from fainting." Claire said, trying to remember.  
  
Just then, an announcement sounded from several megaphones, from the captain of Carpathia, startling Claire and Clara.  
  
"All passengers please note. We will be arriving in New York tomorrow morning. Please ensure you are ready to leave by 9:00am. Thankyou."  
  
"Ooh! I've never been to America! Im so excited! I might even catch onto your accent, Claire!" Clara said, happily.  
  
"Yeah. I'd like to see that." Claire yawned, Lightoller following after her, as yawns were contagious.  
  
"It's getting late. You two should best be off to bed," Lightoller said, placing his arms Clara's shoulders.  
  
"Oh, Charles, where are you sleeping?" Clara asked, hanging onto his hand.  
  
"Well, probably in the officers common room, I should say."  
  
"I want to be with you. Please, may I stay?" Clara asked, in her sweet voice.  
  
"I suppose you can." Lightoller looked at Claire. "You can come as well, if you like."  
  
"Yeah. Thanks." 


	32. Arrival

Chapter 32  
  
Crewmembers brought out blankets and mattresses for the people who were planning to sleep on the floor. Clara and Claire decided to sleep on a sofa.  
  
Lightoller set himself down on a mattress, on the floor.  
  
"What? You're going to sleep on the floor?" Clara asked, shocked.  
  
"Im used to it," Lightoller replied, and held out his hand.  
  
Clara took it, and decided to sleep on the floor with Lightoller. She smiled.  
  
Everyone in the room soon fell asleep. Claire was lying on the sofa with her arms and one leg hanging off the side, Clara and Lightoller were embraced, lovingly, and a few other people were snoring rather loudly.  
  
Soon enough, the morning of Tuesday, 16th April came around, and the elite society were relieved to finally be arriving at New York.  
  
Clara awoke, slowly, and looked around. There were a few people awake. She glanced sideways at Claire, and realised that Claire was not on the sofa, because she, indeed, had rolled onto the floor in the middle of the night. Clara chuckled and woke Lightoller up.  
  
"Oh, good morning, Clara." Lightoller smiled.  
  
Clara laughed, looking at his messed up hair and half asleep face.  
  
"Good morning, Charles." She giggled, and they kissed for a few moments.  
  
Claire woke up, and glanced over at Clara and Lightoller kissing, and imagined that it was herself and Murdoch.  
  
"Well, I suppose we'd better get set to head off, then," Lightoller exclaimed, standing up.  
  
They made their way up to the boat deck, and stood around for a moment, peering around at all the media reporters waiting for them on the dock.  
  
"Oh great. I don't wanna have to talk to all these people," Claire complained.  
  
"Oh, you wont." Clara and Claire spun around, recognising the voice instantly.  
  
"Hello, girls!" Noelle cried, and took her daughters in a long embrace.  
  
"Oh! I love you, mom!" Clara and Claire cried.  
  
"Good morning, officer Lightoller. Will you be disembarking with us?" Noelle asked Lightoller, tucking strands of hair behind her ear.  
  
"Please, do call me Charles, and no, I'm not positive whether I'm even coming off this ship."  
  
"What? Oh, Charles, you have to get off. Please?" Clara asked, hopefully, her eyes pleading.  
  
Noelle didn't glare at her; she only smiled, and nodded her head solemnly.  
  
"We'll be staying in a hotel until we can get driven to my husband's house, in Ohio," Noelle explained, as they made their way down the gangway, past the swarming reporters.  
  
Lightoller looked nervously at Clara.  
  
"Clara, I don't think I can be staying with you. I'm going to return back to England, whenever I can get the chance. I need to see my family, and most of all, resume working for White Star Line. The longest I can stay with you, is perhaps, a fortnight or so."  
  
"Oh." Clara sighed, and rested her head on Lightoller's shoulder. 


	33. Up in Nova Scotia

*Chapter 33*  
  
When the group had finally arrived at the hotel, they noticed that much of the interiors resembled that of Titanic's. After all, Titanic had been dubbed "The Floating Palace." After a couple of days, they had settled down, and Clara and Lightoller decided to take a walk in the nearby park, as they hadn't been out, much.  
  
"Clara, I've been thinking. Why don't you move to England with me? We can live in Wales, if you like." Lightoller smiled, knowing Clara loved her home country.  
  
"I don't believe it! Erm...perhaps. But wouldn't you be out at sea all the time? If I lived with you, that is."  
  
"I would make plenty of time for you, my love."  
  
Clara was flattered by his comment, and threw her arms around his neck.  
  
"Oh, I love you, Charles!" She cried.  
  
"I love you more," Lightoller whispered, and kissed Clara passionately.  
  
As they made their way out of the park, they spotted a young boy standing on a corner, selling newspapers. Lightoller and Clara strolled up to him.  
  
"Oh, hello sir. Would you like to buy a newspaper?" The boy asked, in an accent stronger than Claire's. Clara knew she had to get used to it sometime.  
  
"Of course, yes, thankyou." Lightoller paid the boy, and opened the newspaper to find out what had been happening while he'd been at sea.  
  
"Anything interesting?" Clara asked, peering over the page.  
  
"Not really," Lightoller replied, turning to the back page.  
  
Then, all of a sudden, a heading caught Clara's attention.  
  
"Titanic survivors - Cemetery now open for lost loves."  
  
Clara pointed out the heading, and read more underneath.  
  
"Halifax cemetery, Nova Scotia. Open only on the 22nd April, so please make your way to Nova Scotia as soon as you can." Clara raised an eyebrow. "Where's Nova Scotia?"  
  
"It's in Canada, just above New York, I should imagine. You should tell Claire about it. She might like to go and see William's grave."  
  
"Yes, well, I suppose."  
*~~~~~~*  
  
Clara pleaded with her mother to let her go to Canada for a day with Claire, but Noelle didn't seem to want to let her go.  
  
"But Charles will look after us," Clara had pleaded, looking up at him.  
  
Noelle had finally decided to let Clara and Claire head off to Nova Scotia, with Lightoller, of course.  
  
*~~~~~~*  
  
When they arrived there, after a rather long drive, they took a taxi to the cemetery in Halifax.  
  
Claire couldn't stop fidgeting. She was so excited to be going to the cemetery, just because perhaps Murdochs grave would be there.  
  
"Finally!" Claire shouted, and opened her arms to stretch them, when she'd stepped out of the car at the gates of the cemetery.  
  
"Oh, do shut up, Claire. What are you thinking?" Clara hissed at Claire, aware that she'd repeated the exact phrase from the day Claire had teased her: "Ooh, you like him."  
  
"Hey, you've said that to me before," Claire replied stupidly.  
  
Clara rolled her eyes.  
  
"Excuse me, sir, do you know where I can find the Titanic graves?" A man asked the cemetery manager. The manager gave the man directions, and Lightoller and the girls decided to follow along, since that's where they were headed to, as well.  
  
It wasn't that far away, actually. Clara looked up. In front of her, was a huge sign, that read, 'Titanic Graves."  
  
"Well, I guess we're here, then," Clara sighed, and the man in front of her turned around. 


	34. Forever in our Hearts

*Chapter 34*  
  
Forever in our hearts  
  
"Mr Lowe?" Clara yelled.  
  
"Clara! Oh, its you! Wow! What a surprise!" Lowe exclaimed, excitedly. "What brings you here?"  
  
"Claire wanted to visit Mr Murdoch's grave. I suppose you're here for Mr Moody?"  
  
"Yes, and Mr Bride."  
  
Clara froze. Her body went through a hot and cold flush, all in one second. She felt as if her heart had been ripped out of her chest, dropped onto the ground and stomped on several times. Her face went pale. She opened her mouth, to say something, but nothing came out.  
  
"You mean, he's dead?" Claire asked, for Clara.  
  
"Mr Bride? Yes, he died, I'm afraid."  
  
"YOU DON'T HAVE TO KEEP SAYING THAT!" Clara snapped, angrily. She looked at her feet.  
  
"How?" She finally managed to ask, about to burst into tears.  
  
"Well, he was in Carpathia's hospital, and I went to visit him, probably just after you had visited him, because he kept talking about you. Anyway, then the nurse told me to come back in the morning. You know how his feel were all frozen?"  
  
Clara remained silent.  
  
"Well, hey had been infected, from all the crushing of the bones, and some unknown illness spread over his body, overnight. In the morning, Mr Boxhall and myself went to the hospital to visit him, but the doctors told us that he had passed away. I'm sorry, Clara."  
  
Lightoller and Claire stood back for a moment.  
  
"I was so fond of him. I promised him that I would save him. He believed in me. And I let him die!" Clara burst into tears.  
  
"Its not your fault, Clara. He wasn't meant to be, that's all." Lightoller whispered, and held her tightly to him.  
  
"I didn't even get to say goodbye to him!" Clara sobbed.  
  
She stopped crying, and Lightoller led the girls away from Lowe, and to Bride's grave.  
  
It was covered in flowers, gifts, and small objects. Obviously his family had already been here.  
  
"Look, there's a photo of him." Clara pointed out Bride's photo, encased in a glass wall. "He was so young."  
  
Claire had no respect at all. Tapping her feet impatiently, she said, "Weren't we here for me? Hello? I wanted to see Will's grave. We can come back to this grave later."  
  
"Alright." Clara stood up, and followed Claire and Lightoller.  
  
Claire froze. "There it is." She tiptoed carefully over to Murdochs grave.  
  
Clara and Lightoller stood behind Claire, away from her, so she could see the grave in peace. They remained very silent.  
  
Claire bent down and placed a rose, and her diamond necklace - that she had worn on her first kiss with Murdoch - on the grave stone gift box. She knelt down in front of the grave, and ran her hand over the photo of him, that was fixed inside a glass wall.  
  
'Will.' She thought. 'Poor old Will.'  
  
"I love you so much, even though you've left me." Claire blew a kiss to his photo, and stood up. She closed her eyes for a moment.  
  
She felt a hand on her shoulder, and a cool, breezy kiss, on her neck, just like Murdoch loved to do, on previous occasions.  
  
Claire whipped her head around, but the only people behind her were Clara and Lightoller, lying on the grass.  
  
Claire smiled. She knew it was Murdoch. A shiver ran down her spine, as though a spirit had walked right through her.  
  
"Oh, Will." She said out aloud, but very softly.  
  
Clara and Lightoller walked up behind Claire, and put their hands on her shoulders.  
  
"They're gone. Two great friends," Lightoller sniffled.  
  
"No, theyre not gone." Claire corrected Lightoller.  
  
"They'll forever be with us. That, I know." Clara whispered, glancing up at the sky.  
  
Claire and Lightoller looked up as well, as though something were there. Claire put her arm around Claras shoulder.  
  
"Yeah. They'll be with us, Clara. They are. They're Forever in our Hearts." 


End file.
